THEOLOGY 4:

• LIVING THE CHRISTIAN VISION IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD:

UNIT 1: Harmony with God: Called to Communion

A. Spirituality of Truth

BRYAN B. ALBIA, MAL

Correspondence
Theory of Truth
Narrowly understood as
the view that truth is
correspondence to, or
with, a fact.
The label is usually applied
much more broadly to any
view explicitly embracing
the idea that truth consists
in a relation to reality.
Coherence
Theory of Truth
The theory is the belief that a
proposition is true to the
extent that it agrees with
other true propositions.
According to some early
versions of the coherence
theory, the coherence relation
is simply consistency.
A more plausible version of
the coherence theory states
that the coherence relation is
some form of entailment.
Pragmatic
Theory of Truth
The theory is the belief that
a proposition is true when
acting upon it yields
satisfactory practical
results.
Truth of a belief is
determined by evaluating
how well the belief satisfies
the whole of human nature
over a long period of time:
how well does it WORK?
Is something factual automatically
truthful?

Is the truth determined by what

we know and believe?

Is the truth determined by

usefulness?
St. Thomas Aquinas

• Human beings, have a natural desire

for God- a desire that is as natural as
hunger or thirst, yet different in its
object because its operation is in the
mind. Hence, it is not as easily
satisfied as our physical desires.
Being rational, we constantly ask questions,
whether consciously or unconsciously.

Even a person who refuses to acknowledge

God’s existence is not exempted from
confronting the “why” questions of life.

We are not satisfied with sensory

knowledge. We want to know more. We
search for answers to the difficult questions
of origin and purpose.
• “If I find in myself a desire which
no experience in this world can
satisfy, the most probable
explanation is that I was made for
another world. Probably earthly
pleasures were never meant to
satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to
suggest THE REAL THING.”

C.S. Lewis
(Mere Christianity)
Spirituality is our search
for that “real thing”

What is the real

thing?
 This search, however, can be a blind search for some. We hear of people trying out various
spiritual practices until they settle for one or several that suit them as if the object of spirituality is
a matter of personal preference.

But the “real thing”, the Transcendent One,

the person we call God is precisely God
because he is not our creation.
 True
spirituality is
anchored on
THE TRUTH
of WHO GOD
IS.
Veritatis Splendor, 2

• “The light of God's face

shines in all its beauty on
the countenance of Jesus
Christ.”
A Christian, therefore, is someone
convinced that Jesus is indeed who
he claimed to be – the Son of God,
our Savior and Lord. This conviction
is more than just an intellectual
ascent to Jesus’ claims. One cannot
be a believer of Jesus and remain
neutral about him. To accept the
truth of Jesus is to decide to enter
into a relationship with him and to
live one’s life according to his
example and teachings. The
objective truth of Christian
Spirituality is Jesus, nothing else.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM
OF FINDING THE
TRUTH IN THE
CONTEMPORARY
WORLD?
RELATIVISM

• Relativism is the belief that

there's no absolute truth,
only the truths that a
particular individual or
culture happen to believe.
• If you believe in relativism,
then you think different
people can have different
views about what's moral
and immoral.
• All points of view are
equally valid even if they
are contradicting
 In a relativist
society, there are
no standards, no
permanent
moral values.

TRUTH is as fluid as the

changing of an individual’s
mind or preferences.
Crisis of Relativism
• “Today, having a clear faith based on
the Creed of the Church is often
labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas
relativism, that is, letting oneself be
‘tossed here and there, carried about
by every wind of doctrine’, seems the
only attitude that can cope with
modern times.” (Missa Pro Eligendo
Romano Pontifice, 19 April 2005)
“We are building a
dictatorship of relativism
that does not recognize
anything as definitive
and whose ultimate goal
consists solely of one's
own ego and desires.”
(Missa Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice, 19
April 2005)
 How does the
crisis of relativism
profoundly
impact faith and
morals?
a. Relativism in Faith “Jesus Christ is but one
religious among others - of
the many models and ideal
forms of the Absolute”

“God, who is too great to

just be contained in one
historical person as Jesus
of Nazareth.”
Relativism in Faith

• Thus, to affirm Jesus as

“the Truth, the Way and
the Life” is
FUNDAMENTALISM
 “CAFETERIA
CATHOLICISM”
One is free to just choose which
of the Church’s teachings they
will accept as true and follow,
abandoning beliefs and practices
which do not suit their taste or
preferences.
RELATIVISM IN FAITH LEADS TO RELIGIOUS PLURALISM
b. Relativism in Morals

• The logical consequence of relativism in faith

• If all beliefs are true, then all actions are good
“If they accept
the Lord and
have goodwill,
WHO AM I TO
JUDGE?” –
one of Pope Francis’ answers on
questions about homosexuality on
his flight back to Rome
b. Relativism in Morals

• Unfortunately, this response

of the Holy Father is often
taken out of context and used
as a propaganda statement
by Catholics who wish to
defend moral slants that do
not conform to the official
teaching of the Church.
Ironically, “What is
there is right is
neither good wrong, and
nor wrong what is
action, only wrong is
“the right.”
relatively
better”
“While the
Church insists on
“…there are those
the existence of in our culture who
objective moral portray this
norms which are teaching as
VALID FOR UNJUST, that is, as
EVERYONE…” opposed to basic
human rights.”
(Evangelii Gaudium, 64)
c. Practical Relativism
(EG 80 and LS 122)
• a form of moral relativism
that is self-centered, self-
indulgent and grounded on
convenience and material
security
• a lifestyle where one
accumulates and hoards
wealth and power at all
costs
c. Practical Relativism
(EG 80 and LS 122)
“…acting as if God did not exist,
making decisions as if the poor
did not exist, setting goals as if
others did not exist, working as
if people who have not
received the Gospel did not
exist.” (Evangelii Gaudium, 80)
How does the
Gospel lead us
to the
rediscovery of
the Absolute
Truth?
Proclaiming the Truth from the
Heart of the Gospel

Thomas Aquinas on Truth

• “Adæquatio rei et intellectus” or

“Truth is the equation of mind and
thing.” (Summa Theologiae, I:21:2)
• Morally Truthful
• Logically Truthful
• Ontological Truth
 “Truth is the equation of mind and
thing.” (Summa Theologiae, I:21:2)
i. Morally Truthful ii. Logically iii. Ontological
• When a person’s Truthful Truth
thinking conforms to • When a person’s • insofar as they
what he expresses thinking conforms to correspond to how
with words or actions what actually exists in the Creator imagined
reality and his them even before
judgments are based they were made.
on the same reality
Moral Truth and
Logical Truth

• expressions of what
originally was just an
idea in the Great
Mind that brought it
forth to existence –
God
 Ontological Truth

• Became incarnate in the

person of JESUS CHRIST

“For in him were created all things

in heaven and on earth, the visible
and the invisible, whether thrones
or dominions or principalities or
powers; all things were created
through him and for him. He is
before all things, and in him all
things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17)
 "In fact, it is only in the mystery of the Word
incarnate that light is shed on the mystery of man.”
(GS, 22)
The challenge,
therefore, is
how to
communicate
the truth in
today’s world.
A Missionary
Key

The ultimate
purpose behind the
transmission of this
truth is SALVATION

MATTHEW 28:29
 For the truth to be conveyed effectively (EG 35):

Not to saturate with doctrines

but to concentrate in the
A genuine love for the
proclamation of what their
audience, learn their
situation necessitates, simple
language, be immersed in
enough to be understood by
their realities.
all without losing its depth
and richness
• Hence, communicating the truth • In the words, it is through the via
today should not be by way of pulchritudinis – the way of beauty
imposition but by attraction. the others are brought more
effectively to the truth of Christ.

Pope Francis Pope Benedict XVI

Hierarchy of Truths

• Not all truths are of

equal importance in
relation to the salvation
of humankind.
• Essential truths are the
foundational truths –
the truths
supernaturally revealed
necessary for salvation
Thus, those who proclaim the
Christian faith to focus on the
essential Gospel Message – on the
love of God expressed in Christ Jesus
who died and rose again (Evangelii
Gaudium, 36) build a solid
foundation of faith that will later on
address the “basic questions people
have about life, death, suffering,
justice, love and sin.” (Bushman,
2000)
SPIRITUALITY OF TRUTH

Verifying the Truth (logical)

Living out the Truth (moral)

Actualizing the Truth of who I am,

whose I am, for whom I am
(ontological)
 GUIDELINES FOR
TRUTH
• Formulate
guidelines on how
to post truthfully
on social media
and commit to
abide by these
guidelines at all
times.
 THEOLOGY 4:
• LIVING THE CHRISTIAN VISION IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD:

UNIT 1: Harmony with God: Called to Communion

B. Spirituality of Mercy

BRYAN B. ALBIA, MAL

“There is… a spirit of
hedonism abroad today
which beguiles men into
thinking that life is
nothing more than the
quest for pleasure and
the satisfaction of human
passions.”- Mater et Magistra 235
 HEDONISM =
Greek hēdonē ‘pleasure’
The doctrine that pleasure
(sensual pleasure) is the ultimate
goal of life, man's highest good
& greatest happiness

Devotion to pleasure and self-

gratification as a way of life.
This philosophy is more often
promoted through
advertisements
Hedonism…

• “I am here for one

purpose: to get as
much out of life as I
can. Pain and suffering
are evils that must be
avoided at all costs.
The main thing in life is
to always feel good.”
 “This attitude is
disastrous. Its evil
effects on soul and
body are undeniable.”
- Mater et Magistra 235
 What is the
Hedonism
entails a crisis of
crisis of “throw-away
“Throw-away culture” and
Culture” its Hedonistic
tendencies?
Indicators of Throw-away
Culture
Pope Francis in his Apostolic wasting of our resources fueled by
Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium consumerism and the market economy,
(2013), in his Encyclical
the practice of contraception and abortion,
Laudato Si’ (2015), and in his
Post-Synodal Apostolic
abandonment of the elderly and the
Exhortation on love in the
handicapped,
family Amoris Laetitia: (2016)
describe the prevailing culture exclusion of the poor, exploitation of the
that destroys life of both the weak, and
present and future discarding of genuine relationships, of
generations: married love and marriage vows.
 The “Throw away
culture” results into:

Social Degradation

Environmental
Degradation
We treat affective
relationships the way we treat
material objects and the
environment: everything is
disposable; everyone uses and
throws away, takes and
breaks, exploits and squeezes
to the last drop. Then,
goodbye.
 Narcissism makes
people incapable of
looking beyond
themselves, beyond
their own desires
and needs.
...adults who seek a
kind of “independence”
and reject the ideal of
growing old together,
looking after and
supporting one another.
 As followers of Christ,
mercy is indeed our
vocation. Correspondingly,
the spirituality of mercy
that is truly faithful to
God’s call is holistic:

Integral –
everything is
connected
 It therefore includes the
natural world and is not
merely extended to it but
embraces God’s creation—
the environment and non-
human creatures.

This spirituality is integral,

holistic and harmonious,
for it recognizes its
kinship with the rest of
God’s creatures, the rest
of God’s creation.
What is MERCY?
In Hebrew and Biblical language the seat of
emotion is not only the heart but the viscera,
in Hebrew the rachamim, which in the Bible
means misericordia/mercy. This term
rachamim is related to the noun rechem,
which is the womb. Mercy expresses
therefore a typical feminine and motherly
relation of love and tenderness, which gives
the sense of security and warmth. To talk of
God’s mercy means therefore that God is
like a mother, who takes care of her
children, who loves them, never can forget
them, suffers with them when they are
suffering and whose house and table is
always open for them (Sal 27,10).
Mercy indicates in the
direction of gratitude
for an unmerited gift
and unmerited grace,
in the Hebrew
language hesed,
which in the Bible also
can be used for what
in English means
mercy.
 The Latin misericordia has a deeper
emotional meaning than a feeling of
compassion. It says: to have a heart
(in Latin cor) for the miseri, for those
who are in misery and therefore are
miserable.

Misericordia does not only

lament the evil but seeks to
overcome and to conquer
the evil as much as possible.
In Biblical and in Christian Augustinian
language the heart (cor) is the center of
the human person and the seat not only
of the emotions, but of conscience,
determination and responsibility.

Misericordia is not only passive

emotional compassion but acceptance
of active responsibility for the miserable;
it touches with the heart and also with
the hands, opens them to help and
moves the legs to be present where help
actually is needed.
St. Thomas Aquinas on Mercy

• St. Thomas, challenges us to think a

little more deeply about human
suffering, and about what kinds of
remedies are required. If man were
only a body, then physical suffering
would be the extent of what would
cause him harm and need healing.
St. Thomas Aquinas on Mercy

• But man is much more, having been

blessed by God with an immortal soul.
There is a suffering that goes beyond
his body to his spirit. There is a
poverty that goes beyond a lack of
food and clothing, to a lack of
understanding, to darkness in the
mind, and confusion about how to
live and find happiness.
Mercy as contemplated is said to
be a virtue influencing one's will
to have compassion for, and, if
possible, to alleviate another's
misfortune.
It is the teaching of St. Thomas
Aquinas that although mercy is as
it were the spontaneous product
of charity, yet it is to be reckoned
a special virtue adequately
distinguishable from this latter. In
fact the Scholastics in cataloguing
it consider it to be referable to
the quality of justice mainly
because, like justice, it controls
relations between
distinct persons.
2 ASPECTS OF MERCY ST II-II.30.1

AFFECTIVE MERCY
Rooted
• An emotion; the pity that we feel towards the in Right
plight of the other. Reason

EFFECTIVE MERCY Proven in

• An action; something that we do towards the Effective
other, taking steps to relieve their misery or Action
needs
2 CHARACTERISTICS:

• "Since man, therefore, has God

above him, charity which unites him
to God is greater than mercy, which
relieves the wants of others" (II-
II.30.4). On the other hand, when
we consider which of the virtues
should govern our relationships with
other human beings, then it is clear
that mercy directed to our
neighbors in need is the supreme
virtue in man (II-II.30.4).
 What is the Spirituality of Mercy?

A spirituality of mercy is a Spirit-filled movement of the heart “to be merciful just as

God our Heavenly Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36). This spirituality arises from our own
experience of God’s mercy.

The spirituality of mercy lives both the corporal and spiritual actions of mercy.

It becomes a deep spiritual experience when forgiveness and reconciliation are

offered toward our enemies—those who have wronged us, had caused us pain,
anguish, humiliation…misery.

These are actions that bring God’s mercy to our neighbor especially the poor and the
oppressed, all those who are suffering.
 How does the
‘spirituality of mercy’
serve as antidote to the
double degradation
brought about by the
throw-away culture?
Spirituality of Mercy: Addressing the Throw-Away Culture

Evangelium - fellow human beings

Gaudium (EG no. 53)

– fellow human beings

Laudato Si’ (LS 123) especially the poor

– with
LS no. 21 and 22 nature/environment/our
planet
 Spirituality of Mercy:
Addressing the Throw-Away
Culture

Human beings are themselves

considered consumer goods to be
used and then discarded. We have
created a “throw away” culture
which is now spreading. It is no
longer simply about exploitation
and oppression, but something
new. . .The excluded are not the
“exploited” but the outcast, the
“leftovers”.(EG53)
 Sawà vs. Awâ

Throw-Away Culture Culture of Mercy

Sawà Awâ
Objectification Contemplation
Consumption Compassion
Maximization Care
Disposal Communion
 Living “The Primacy of Mercy” (MV 17, MetM 1)

a. “Culture of
care” as antidote • Laudato Si’ mentioned the word “care” 35
to the double times, while “stewardship” only twice. The
degradation subtitle of Laudato Si is in fact on “care for
our common home”. From “stewardship”
brought about by we notice a shift to “care”. Hence, there
the throwaway is a shift from duty-based ethics to a
culture (EG 193, virtue-based ethics of “care.”
LS 231, AL 191)
Peter Cardinal Turkson,
President of the Pontifical Council for
Justice and Peace:

• “Good stewards take

responsibility and fulfill their
obligations to manage and to
render an account. But one can be
a good steward without feeling
connected. If one cares, however,
one is connected. To care is to
allow oneself to be affected by
another, so much so that one’s
path and priorities change.”
b. Revisiting the works of mercy today

• Let us not fall into humiliating indifference or a monotonous

routine that prevents us from discovering what is new!
• Let us ward off destructive cynicism! Let us open our eyes and
see the misery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and
sisters who are denied their dignity
• Let us recognize that we are compelled to heed their cry for
help! May we reach out to them and support them so they can
feel the warmth of our presence, our friendship, and our
fraternity! May their cry become our own, and together may
we break down the barriers of indifference that too often reign
supreme and mask our hypocrisy and egoism!
 We can truly hear them and
attend to them if we have Mercy
“To hear both
• A spirituality of mercy is a
the cry of the Spirit-filled movement of the
earth and the heart “to be merciful just as
cry of the God our Heavenly Father is
merciful” (Lk 6:36). This
poor” (LS 49). spirituality arises from our own
experience of God’s mercy.
 Being absorbed in our
FOUR OBSTACLES TO BEING

SELF- CENTEREDNESS “What’s in it for ME?”

own issues.

“If they think they have

Preoccupation with our
SELF-PITY problems, well, I have
MERCIFUL

own perceived suffering

problems too.”

“They probably deserve

Thinking we are privileged
PRIDE their sufferings because of
because we are holier
their evil deeds.”

Wanting to keep all we “I worked hard for it, it’s

SELFISHNESS
have for ourselves all mine.”
“Unleashing the creativity of mercy (MetM 18-19)

Mercy impels us to roll up our sleeves and set about

restoring dignity to millions of people; they are our
brothers and sisters who, with us, are called to build a
“city which is reliable”.

The social character of mercy demands that we not

simply stand by and do nothing. It requires us to
banish indifference and hypocrisy
Pope John XXIII, at the
opening of the Second
Vatican Council said that the
church must use the
medicine of mercy. The
Church must therefore
“proclaim the mercy of God,
provide people with God’s
mercy and must allow God’s
mercy to appear and be
realized in its entire life.
 MY RESPONSE
against “THROW-
AWAY CULTURE”

• Reflect and formulate

strategies on how you
can significantly
MY promote a “culture of
mercy and care” in
WORKS your community
OF MERCY (Family, Friends,
School, Environment,
etc.)
 THEOLOGY 4:
• LIVING THE CHRISTIAN VISION IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD:

UNIT 1: Harmony with God: Called to Communion

C. Spirituality of Communion

BRYAN B. ALBIA, MAL

INDIVIDUALISM
a doctrine that the interests of the individual are or
ought to be ethically supreme.

the notion that all values, rights, and duties originate

in individuals

the principle that the single person is

more important than the group and
that people should work and own things
for their own advantage.
LS 162

• “Men and women of our postmodern

world run the risk of rampant
individualism, and many problems of
society are connected with today’s self-
centered culture of instant gratification.”
Does individualism
empower or
alienate one from
his true purpose?
The Effects and Consequences of Individualism:
It isolates the human person from one’s
true fulfillment;

The World is Torn Apart

How?
 extreme individualism often
leads to the idea that one’s
personality is shaped by his or
her desires, which are
considered absolute. (Relatio
Synodi, 2014 in AL 33).

It has led to a loss of a sense of

solidarity with and
responsibility for others.
(Misericordia et Misera 18)
 Personalism opts for authenticity as opposed to
mere conformity. While this can favor spontaneity
and a better use of people’s talents, if misdirected
it can foster attitudes of constant suspicion, fear
of commitment, self-centeredness and arrogance.
(Amoris Laetitia, 33)

Freedom of choice that lacks noble goals or

personal discipline, it degenerates into an
inability to give oneself generously to others.
(Amoris Laetitia, 33)
What
do we
do?
Antidote to Individualism

• Spirituality of communion is that communion

which heals, promotes and reinforces
interpersonal bonds (cf. EG 67)
COMMUNION
Gk. Κοινωνια (koinonia =
"placed in common"),
related to Κοινωνευ ("to
share") and κοινωνς or
"partner".
Koinonia refers to a relationship of fellowship
among believers based on participation in
Lt. “Communio” – sharing in
common Christ (Phil 3:10; 1 Pet 4:13) and sharing
common life in the Spirit (2 Cor 13:13; Phil 2:1)
IDEAL state of fellowship by way of baptism (1 Cor 12:13) and the
that should exist in the Eucharist (1 Cor 10:16-17). In addition, this
Christian Church communion is demonstrated by sharing goods
in common use (Acts 2:44; 4:32; Gal 6:6).
 •GOD is a COMMUNION OF PERSONS
From the onset, God willed human beings to live
in COMMUNION with Him and with one another.
• Man became the "image and likeness" of God
not only through his own humanity, but also
through the communion of persons which man
and woman form right from the beginning.
Man becomes the image of God not so much in
the moment of solitude as in the moment of
communion. Pope St. John Paul II
 Meaning and Nature of
the Spirituality of
Communion
A spirituality of communion
indicates above all the heart's
contemplation of the mystery
of the Trinity dwelling in us, and
whose light we must also be
able to see shining on the face
of the brothers and sisters
around us.
Meaning and Nature of the
Spirituality of Communion
It also means an ability to think of our
brothers and sisters in faith within the
profound unity of the Mystical Body, and
therefore as "those who are a part of me".
This makes us able to share their joys and
sufferings, to sense their desires and
attend to their needs, to offer them deep
and genuine friendship.
Meaning and Nature of
the Spirituality of
Communion
A spirituality of communion
implies also the ability to see
what is positive in others, to
welcome it and prize it as a
gift from God: not only as a
gift for the brother or sister
who has received it directly,
but also as a "gift for me.”
Meaning and Nature of
the Spirituality of
Communion
A spirituality of communion
means, finally, to know how to
"make room" for our brothers
and sisters, bearing "each
other's burdens" (Gal 6:2) and
resisting the selfish temptations
which constantly beset us and
provoke competition,
careerism, distrust and jealousy.
Nurturing the Spirituality…
This Spirituality of
Communion must
be cultivated and
extended day by day
and at every level in
the structures of
each Church's life.
Sacrosanctum Concilium. no. 10.

• “The liturgy is the summit

toward which the activity of
the Church is directed; at the
same time it is the font from
which all her power flows.
For the aim and object of
apostolic works is that all
who are made sons of God by
faith and baptism should
come together to praise God
in the midst of His Church, to
take part in the sacrifice, and
to eat the Lord's supper.”
The Eucharist makes constantly
present the Risen Christ who
continues to give himself to us,
calling us to participate in the
banquet of his Body and his Blood.
From full communion with him flows
every other element of the Church's
life: first of all, communion among
all the faithful, the commitment to
proclaiming and witnessing to the
Gospel, the ardour of love for all,
especially the poorest and lowliest.
Communion in Difference (AL 139)
Keep an open mind. Fraternal communion is enriched by respect and
appreciation for differences within an overall perspective that advances
the common good. We need to free ourselves from feeling that we all
have to be alike.

A certain astuteness is also needed to prevent the appearance of

“static” that can interfere with the process of dialogue.

The ability to say what one is thinking without offending the other
person is important. Words should be carefully chosen so as not to
offend, especially when discussing difficult issues.
 The Challenge…
To make the Church the home and
the school of communion: that is
the great challenge facing us in the
millennium which is now beginning,
if we wish to be faithful to God's
plan and respond to the world's
deepest yearnings.
To promote a spirituality of
communion, making it the guiding
principle of education wherever
individuals and Christians are
formed, wherever ministers of the
altar, consecrated persons, and
pastoral workers are trained,
wherever families and communities
are being built up.
Spirituality
DICTATORSHIP Spirituality
THROW-AWAY Spirituality
CRISIS OF of
ofRELATIVISM
OF TRUTH ofCULTURE
MERCY COMMUNION
INDIVIDUALISM
Share your Thoughts

• In what particular ways are Thomasians or

people today in general, individualistic?
Suggest alternative modes of behavior that
promote more communion.
 THEOLOGY 4:
• LIVING THE CHRISTIAN VISION IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD:

UNIT 2: Harmony with the Human Community

Dialogue with Religion

BRYAN B. ALBIA, MAL

 WHAT IS RELIGION?
Latin religio originally meant
'obligation, bond.' It was probably
derived from the verb religare 'tie back,
tie tight’.

"Belief in and reverence for a supernatural

power recognized as the creator and
governor of the universe; A particular
integrated system of this expression; The
spiritual or emotional attitude of one who
recognizes the existence of a superhuman
power or powers.”
Immanuel Kant

• "Religion is the recognition of all our duties as divine commands.”

Harriet Martineau

• "Religion is the belief in an ever-living God, that is, in a Divine Mind

and Will ruling the Universe and holding moral relations with
mankind."

Rudolph Otto

• "Religion is that which grows out of, and gives expression to,
experience of the holy in its various aspects."
Emile Durkheim

• “a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to

say, things set apart and forbidden -- beliefs and practices which unite into
one single moral community called a Church all those who adhere to them.”

Sigmund Freud

• "Religion is comparable to childhood neurosis.”

Karl Marx

• "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature... a protest against real

suffering... it is the opium of the people... the illusory sun which revolves
around man for as long as he does not evolve around himself."
Paul Tillich

• "Religion is the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern, a concern

which qualifies all other concerns as preliminary and which itself contains
the answer to the question of the meaning of life.”

Friedrich Schleiermacher

• "The essence of religion consists in the feeling of absolute dependence.”

John Milton Yinger

• "Religion is a system of beliefs and practices by means of which a group

of people struggle with the ultimate problem of human life."
 THE PLACE OF RELIGION IN SOCIETY

Religion is the heart of a culture.

One of religion’s functions is to address issues of meaning.

“The arbitrariness of suffering causes people to want an explanation; the

world should make sense, it should have some ultimate meaning.”
Religion exists even in the contemporary times

Migration move people from one place to another that results to plurality of
beliefs, religions and worldviews.
Dialogue in Asia is important in crossing the bridge of differences between
and among religions.
 Functions of Religion

General:

• Explanation of the natural and social world.

Moral:

• A set of normative rules on how people should behave which enhance solidarity and social order through
belief in a shared set of values.

Psychological:

• Gives believers a sense of security and control thus reducing anxiety about current and future events.

Ecological:

• Helps individuals become better adapted to the environment.

“Today due to frequent and extensive
migrations from East to West, a
growing number of non-Christians are
settling in the Christianized West,
especially in urban centers, where
temples, pagodas, and mosques dot
the landscape cheek by jowl with
churches and synagogues”

Because of mega-migration and mega-

urbanization different religions can be
found all over the world. Multi-
culturality is a reality and so thus multi-
religiosity.
 HOW DO WE
ESTABLISH
DIALOGUE IN A
MULTI-
RELIGIOUS
WORLD?
 Important Terms to Remember
ECUMENISM

• Within the Catholic Church, the term 'Ecumenism' refers to efforts of different Christian Churches to
develop closer relationships and develop better understandings of their shared faith.
• Ecumenical dialogue had as its aim the establishment or restoration of full communion of faith and
sacramental life between Christians of different Communions.

INTERFAITH DIALOGUE

• Refers to the means of co-operation with those people of Non-Christian religions specifically with
the members of the “Abrahamic faiths” (Jewish and Muslim traditions)

INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

• Refers to the means of co-operation with those people of Non-Christian religions such as Hinduism
and Buddhism etc.
Interreligious dialogue and proclamation,
though not on the same level, are both
authentic elements of the Church's
evangelizing mission. Both are legitimate and
necessary. They are intimately related, but not
interchangeable: true interreligious dialogue
on the part of the Christian supposes the
desire to make Jesus Christ better known,
recognized and loved; proclaiming Jesus Christ
is to be carried out in the Gospel spirit of
dialogue. The two activities remain distinct
but, as experience shows, one and the same
local Church, one and the same person, can be
diversely engaged in both.
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Dialogue and
Proclamation, no. 77.
 Asia is a home of different
religions. There exists a variety
and diverse religions in Asia
such as Hinduism, Buddhism,
Christianity, Confucianism,
Islam, Jainism, Judaism,
Shintoism, Taoism, and
Zoroastranism. Asia is the
birthplace of the major
religions such as Christianity,
Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism
 “In today’s world, the religious
others are in our midst,
studying, living and working
among us and with us.”
• Religious pluralism is “a
philosophical perspective on
the world that emphasizes
diversity rather than
homogeneity, multiplicity
rather than unity, difference
rather than sameness.”
 Religious Pluralism Religious Relativism

•there is no one •everyone has their

religion or no one own way of
way of attaining salvation
salvation
Scriptures and Church’s Teaching
on Interreligious Dialogue
 Jesus commanded his
apostles not to go to the
Samaritan but instead
go to the lost sheep of
Israel (Mt. 105-6).
However, there are
instances that Jesus was
friendly to non-Jews.
He admired the faith of the
centurion (Mt 8:10) and
commended the faith of a
Canaanite woman (Mt. 15:
28).
A Samaritan returned and
gave thanks from the ten
lepers who were healed (Lk.
17:11-19). The Acts of the
Apostle tells us the story of
the followers of The Way.
The Good Samaritan’s act
differs from that of the priest
and the levite (Lk. 10:29-37).
The Apostles are to witness
for Christ from Jerusalem,
Samaria until they the ends
of the earth (Acts 1:8).
 In St Paul’s speech to Athens
(Acts 17:22-23) he announces
the Unknown God whom they
worship without knowing and
in the following verses he
states that God is near to
every people and are called
God’s offspring (Acts 26-28).
 Religious plurality is therefore present not only in
Asia but all over the world.

“It is first of all a search for and recognition of the presence and
activities of the Holy Spirit to be evangelized, and in this humble
and attentive process of listening, the evangelizers become
evangelized, and the evangelized become evangelizer.”

People of other faith must be respected and in no

way that Christians must think of converting them
in their relationship with them.
The Catholic Church rejects nothing which is true and holy in these
religions. She looks with sincere respect upon those ways of conduct and of
life, those rules and teaching which, though differing in many particulars
from what she holds and sets forth, nevertheless often reflect a ray of that
Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims and must ever
proclaim Christ, "the way, the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6), in whom men
find the fullness of religious life, and in whom God has reconciled all things
to Himself. Vatican II, Nostra Aetate, no. 2.
 Dialogue and Proclamation, 9.
In the context of religious
plurality, dialogue means "all It includes both witness and
positive and constructive the exploration of respective
interreligious relations with religious convictions. It is in
individuals and communities this third sense that the
of other faiths which are present document uses the
directed at mutual term dialogue for one of the
understanding and integral elements of the
enrichment", in obedience to Church's evangelizing mission.
truth and respect for freedom.
Divine Providence does not deny the helps necessary
for salvation to those who, without blame on their
part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of
God. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them
is looked upon by the Church as preparation for the
Gospel.

There are who, living and dying in this world without

God, are exposed to final despair. To promote the
glory of God and procure the salvation of all of
these, the Church, mindful of the command of the
Lord: “Preach the Gospel to every creature,” fosters
the missions with care and attention. (LG 16)
The Church must be present in these
groups through her children, who dwell
among them or who are sent to them. For
all Christians, wherever they live, are
bound to show forth, by the example of
their lives and by the witness of the word,
that new man put on at baptism and that
power of the Holy Spirit by which they
have been strengthened at Confirmation.
Thus other men, observing their good
works, can glorify the Father (cf. Matt.
ES:16) and can perceive more fully the
real meaning of human life and the
universal bond of the community of
mankind.
Further, 1. The dialogue of life – People strive to live their life in harmony and
Dialogue and peace with their neighbors of other faith sharing with each other as
Proclamation no friends their joys and sorrows, hopes and dreams.
42 mentions the
different forms 2. The dialogue of action – When people of different faiths work together
of dialogue. to act and collaborate for integral development and liberation of people.

3. The dialogue of theological exchange – Those who are specialists

deepen each other’s religious heritages, and appreciate each other’s
religious values

4. The dialogue of religious experience – Persons rooted in their own

religious traditions, share their spiritual riches such as prayer and
contemplation, faith and ways of searching for God.
“Asians have many and diverse
ways of life that have nurtured
and sustained them for many
millennia in the past and for
many ages to come. Asians have
their own system of meaning,
including religion, the core of
their way of life.”
Javier, Dialogue: Our Mission Today, 27.
Practicing Hospitality
and Respect

What are the values you

can think of that we
should posses in having
a Dialogue with our
brothers and sisters who
belong to different
faiths? In what ways can
you also introduce your
faith to them?
 THEOLOGY 4:
• LIVING THE CHRISTIAN VISION IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD:

UNIT 2: Harmony with the Human Community

Dialogue with the Poor

BRYAN B. ALBIA, MAL

Poverty remains the crucial challenge facing
the world. The pandemic has compounded
the threats to progress raised by conflict
and climate change. Estimates suggest that
2020 saw an increase of between 119
million and 124 million global poor, of
whom 60 per cent are in Southern Asia.

Poverty also includes the growing number

of urban poor brought about by
globalization, urbanization, materialism and
secularism to mention a few.
“Life for those living in poverty is
characterized by ill health, limited
access to clean water and hygienic
sanitation, poor quality housing,
hunger, illiteracy and premature
death. Such material deprivation in
developing countries has been the
impetus for international efforts to
eradicate poverty throughout the
second half of the last century.”
Matthew Clarke, Mission and Development: God’s Work or Good Works?
(New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2012), 1.
CFC no. 1188

• The poor are

not only
recipients of the
Good News but
they are also
bearers of the
Gospel”
 The Poor as Object of
Evangelization to being
Subject of Evangelization
Church Teaching on Poverty
Lk 14:43

• “The Spirit of the Lord is

upon me, because he has
anointed me to proclaim
freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight to
the blind, to set the
prisoners free, to proclaim
the year Lord’s favor.”
Further, Jesus mentions
that “I must proclaim the
good news of the kingdom
of God to the other town
also because that is why I
was sent.”
 “Preferential option for the poor such as the
migrants, indigenous and tribal people, women
and children and the defense of human life,
health care, education, peace making,
cancellation of debts, and protection of
environment.”
John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation on Jesus Christ the Savior and
His Mission in Asia Ecclesia in Asia (6 November 1999), no. 32-41.
“The modern
paradigm of mission
understands salvation
to include, beside
forgiveness of sin and
reconciliation with
God, liberation from all
forms of socio-political
oppression and
promotion of
economic well-being.”
Phan, In Our Tongues, 20.
 “Mission must show
redemption to be an option,
both historically and
collectively and in the
personal lives of individuals.”
Paulo Suess, “Missio Dei and the Project of Jesus: The
poor and the ‘Other” as Mediators of the Kingdom of
God and Protagonists of the Churches,” International
Review of Mission Vol. XCII no. 367 (2003), 556.
Human beings are themselves
considered consumer goods to be
used and then discarded. We have
created a “throw away” culture
which is now spreading. It is no
longer simply about exploitation and
oppression, but something new.
Exclusion ultimately has to do with
what it means to be a part of the
society in which we live; those
excluded are no longer society’s
underside or its fringes or its
disenfranchised – they are no longer
even a part of it. The excluded are
not the “exploited” but the outcast,
the “leftovers”. Evangelii Gaudium, 53
 The dignity of the human
person is the very foundation
of a moral vision for society.
• For Paul VI Evangelization is
integral liberation, “For the
Church, evangelizing
means bringing the Good
News into all the strata of
humanity, and through its
influence transforming
humanity from within and
making it new: "Now I am
making the whole of
creation new." EN 18
 Dialogue
with the Poor
“Mission will mean a dialogue with Asia’s poor, with its local
cultures, and with religious traditions.

“Our faith in Christ, who became poor and was always close
to the poor and the outcast, is the basis of our concern for
the integral development of society’s most neglected
members.” Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, no. 186.

The poor are dialogue partners in mission for they are, like
people of other faith and culture, instruments of
evangelization.
“Neighborhoods function when people are neither too
close nor too far, not overly involved in each other’s lives
but not indifferent from each other.” Further, this
neighborliness, “involves face-to-face relationships that go
beyond the faceless world of the political, on the one hand,
and the intimate and private world of family and friends, on
the other hand. In other words we are not condemned to
relating only either as friends or enemies. We can also be
neighbors.”
Evangelii Gaudium, no. 49.

• The Church must move

outside where the people
needs them the most and
become, “a church bruised,
hurting and dirty because it
has been out on the streets,
rather than a church which is
unhealthy from being
confined and from clinging
to its own security.”
 Share your
Thoughts

• How can you

empower the
poor as co-
workers in the
vineyard of our
Lord?
 THEOLOGY 4:
• LIVING THE CHRISTIAN VISION IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD:

UNIT 2: Harmony with the Human Community

Dialogue with Culture

BRYAN B. ALBIA, MAL

The Internet is perhaps the most significant technological innovation of our time, playing a
substantial role in the growth of Globalization. The Internet facilitated the expansion of
the movement toward a global village through the creation of cheaper, faster and easier
means of communication, the provision of a vast pool of information, and the expansion of
e-commerce. This enormous amount of information being accessed by everyone
connected to the Internet is in itself a powerful tool in the development of globalization.
Globalization contributes
to the exchange
of cultural values of
different countries, the
convergence of
traditions.
Globalization that results “to an accelerated
development through space and time” compresses
time, space and consciousness of peoples from
different parts of the world.
Logan, Ikubolajeh B. Globalization: The Third World State and Poverty-Alleviation in the Twenty-First Century (Aldershot Hants, England: Ashgate Publish Ltd.) 2002 HC 59.7 .G51 2002
“The pilgrim Church is
missionary by her very
nature, since it is from
the mission of the Son
and the mission of the
Holy Spirit that she
draws her origin, in
accordance with the
decree of God the
Father.” (AG 2).
 The Catholic Church’s document
“Dialogue and Proclamation”
defines what dialogue is all about.
It states:
Secondly, dialogue can
be taken as an
Firstly, at the purely attitude of respect and
human level, it means friendship, which
reciprocal permeates or should
communication, permeate all those
leading to a common activities constituting
goal or, at a deeper the evangelizing
level, to interpersonal mission of the Church.
communion. This can appropriately
be called "the spirit of
dialogue”.
 Dialogue is recognized as part of the comprehensive
evangelizing mission of the Church. It is characterized by
reciprocity and mutuality between dialogue partners who are
different from each other.

In the praxis of mission in the contemporary times, openness

and respect are the desired dispositions.

Dialogue may lead us towards achieving harmony.

God the Father of all, has called all men
to share in his life and love through his
son Jesus Christ. The risen Christ and his
Spirit are active in the world making this
love a present and growing reality,
making all things new. This same love
urges us on to dialogue with people of
other religions, because we have,
especially since Second Vatican Council,
an increasing awareness of the positive
role of other religions in God’s plan of
salvation. (FAPA, P198)
In Asia mission and evangelization has to be through the “triple dialogue”,
that is, dialogue with culture, religion and the poor. (FAPA 222)
 Dialogue with Culture
Asia/Philippines: Melting Pot of Different Cultures
WHAT IS CULTURE?
Fr. Samuel Agcaracar, SVD

• Latin verb colere such

as inhabit, cultivate,
protect, honor with
worship.
Fr. Louis Luzbetak, SVD

• “Culture is conceived as the way of life of a social

group, not of an individual as such. It is the way a
society copes with its physical, social, and ideational
environment. In other words, culture is a society’s
regularized or standardized design for living.
 Beliefs,
experiences,
principles, values
and memories are
shared as a result
of common
enculturation.
Nicolas Standaert

• The process by which culture is passed

on and is learned is called enculturation
which is “a very long process of growing
into the culture to which he or she
belongs”.
 The way we eat, sleep, speak, think are some of the ways
in which we can trace the existence of culture. Culture,
therefore is a particular group of people’s way of life. “The
ways or patterns of life, acquired by learning which
characterize a human community.” (Standaert)

Culture is “a partially conscious and partially

unconscious learning experience whereby
the older generation invited, induces, and
compels the younger generation to adopt
traditional ways of thinking and behaving.
Enculturation is primarily based on the
control that the older generation exercises
over the means of rewarding and punishing
children.” (Harris)
 Culture can be discerned in various levels
this is according to Standaert:
Second, is symbol, such
The third level is and
as their myth, rites of
characteristic of culture
passage at birth, puberty,
is that it is always
marriage, birth, greeting
changing. Cultures do The last characteristic is
First it is through action, each other. Part of
evolve and this is due to that within a culture
such as clothing, or symbol is language which
demographic there can be several
means of transport. is elementary to culture
development, economic subcultures.
that when another
laws, climactic changes
language is present,
or human or
another culture is
technological progress.
present.
Stanley Skreslet

• “Ritual behaviors, religious institutions, and

sacred texts all find their wherewithal in the
bailiwick of culture.”
 Fr. Antonio Pernia, SVD

• “International migrants come from all

over the world and travel to all parts
of the world. As a result, people from
different cultures not only are in
much closer contact today,
oftentimes they are forced to live
alongside each other.”

In Asia, people live together alongside the

diverse religions and cultures. In the
Philippines just like other Asian countries,
ethnic minorities and groups are ever present.
The reality of mega-migration results
to multiculturality. Besides the pull The question that we have to post
factor such as work opportunity, other is:
people migrate because they are forced
to (push factor) because of poverty and As Christians what should be our
of violence such as wars. These forced attitude in a multicultural world?
migrants are called refugees.
Scriptures and the Church on
Dialogue with Culture
The Gospel must be inculturated in the people and that Christ must find a
home in the culture of the people. If culture is a way of life one has to be
slow in one’s judgment because culture mirrors the behaviour and belief
system of a group of peoples or community.
“The theological foundation of inculturation is the incarnation. The basic
argument is that just as Jesus Christ, the Word of God, became incarnate in
a human culture, in the Jewish milieu, the gospel of Jesus Christ should be
allowed to be inculturated (or incarnated) in the local culture or context
(Matt 5:17; Acts 10:34).”
In this process of inculturation a people receives the Word, makes it the principle of their life,
values, attitudes and aspirations. In this way they become the Body of Christ in this particular
time and place—a local church....

The community discovers a new identity, losing Inculturation is not mere adaptation of a ready-
nothing of its cultural riches, but integrating them made Christianity into a given situation, but
in a new whole and becoming the sacrament of rather a creative embodiment of the Word in the
God’s liberating love active among men… local church.

This is the basic and fundamental process of inculturation. Inculturation is the

discovery of the seeds of the Word which lie hidden in the given cultures and living
traditions. The mutual exchange of their discoveries among the local churches will
lead to their enrichment as well as that of the universal Church. (FAPA I, 227-228).
 “In order that they may be able to bear more fruitful witness to Christ, let
them be joined to those men by esteem and love; let them acknowledge
themselves to be members of the group of men among whom they live; let
them share in cultural and social life by the various undertakings and
enterprises of human living; let them be familiar with their national and
religious traditions; let them gladly and reverently lay bare the seeds of the
Word which lie hidden among their fellows. (AG 11)
The Gospel, then, has to purify a culture while culture has to enrich the Gospel.
There must be a mutual enrichment between the Gospel and culture between
faith and culture. Stanley H. Skreslet, Comprehending Mission (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2012), 97.
The word culture in the general
sense refers to all those things which
go to the refining and developing of
man’s diverse mental and physical
endowments. He strives to subdue
the earth by his knowledge and his
labor; he humanizes social life both
in the family and in the whole civic
community through the
improvement of customs and
institutions; he expresses through his
works the great spiritual experiences
and aspirations of men throughout
the ages; he communicates and
preserves them to be an inspiration
for the progress of many, even all
mankind. (GS 53-62)
 Human and world flourishing is
the goal of cultures. Thus, culture
not only could cultivate but also
can mediate the Christian faith to
others.

“Culture also includes religion as

one of its elements.” Religion is
the animating principle of
culture. Culture is like a body,
with religion as its soul.
 “The work of evangelization
carried out by the church is a
continuation of the incarnation,
and, therefore, Christianity must
assume whatever is good in the
different races and cultures is
compatible with the essential
message of the gospel”
“The spirit sows the ‘seeds
of the word’ present in
various customs and
cultures, preparing them
for full maturity in Christ.”
(RM 28)
“The incarnation of Christian
life and of the Christian
message in a particular
cultural context, in such a way
that this experience not only
finds expression through
elements proper to the culture
in question (this alone would
be no more than a superficial
adaptation) but becomes
principle that animates, directs
and unifies the culture,
transforming it and remaking it
so as to bring about a ‘new
creation’. – P. Arrupe
Christianity is itself enriched upon entering new
cultural phases and regions, acquiring surplus
meaning in loyalty and conformity to its
tradition (Shorter P 13)
Bishop Joseph Blomjous used the term interculturation in
1980 “The period of 1960-1980 can be considered as the
main transition period from the traditional Mission to the
new Mission of the future. It has been characterized as
the period of ‘inculturation’, though the better term
would be ‘interculturation’, in order to express that the
process of inculturation must be lived in partnership and
mutuality. It seems that we are now living in the peak of
this movement, the critical phase which demands from us
a real decision for profound and courageous reform.
“The incarnation tells us that God is
not afraid of using cultures to
communicate with us.”

• “While multiculturality and

cross-culturality content
themselves with the uniqueness
of each culture, interculturality
goes beyond by putting
premium on what is common
among people; thus it enhances
mutual enrichment,
appreciation, and collaboration
that would create new
synthesis.” (Agcaracar)
 “Go to the people, Live among them, Learn from them,
love them. Start with what they know, build on what they
have.”

As mission and evangelization considers cultures, Paul VI

has this to say “Evangelization loses much of its force and
effectiveness if it does not take into consideration the
actual people to whom it is addressed, if it does not use
their language, their signs and symbols, if it does not
answer the questions they ask, and if it does not have an
impact on their concrete life.” EN 63
 Successful
inculturation demands
from those involved in
the process mature
freedom in the Spirit
which is characterized
by docility and trust in
His guidance…
 “Indeed Galilee, lying along the border, was identified with
rejection insofar as those persons who live in borderlands
assimilate a multiplicity of racial, cultural, and religious influences
from “across the border”. Borders are generally regarded as
seedbeds of impurity.”

The multiculturality of the world because of

migration can be an avenue for greater space
for evangelization “a privileged locus of the
new evangelization.” It is in the diversity that
we can have dialogue with different cultures.
 This diversity, nonetheless, should be celebrated as God
shows his generosity by entering into the different cultures.
Cultures, other than Christian culture, in themselves bear
the ray of truth.
 Globalization Culture

Technological
Migration Enculturation Inculturation
Development
Knowing my Culture

• What are some of the cultural practices from

your region that you love and still practice today?
How do you share your heritage to others?