Lesson 1: The Background of the God’s Salvific Mission will benefit and will also be functioning well.

ill also be functioning well. On the other way

around, if one of these malfunctions, the others will also be affected
1. The Background of God’s Salvific Mission either immediately or the effect will come later. This is obviously
2. The Creation: The Project of God revealed to us by our eco-system. Our whole eco-system has been
3. The original state of Creation revealing to us the interconnectedness of everything and so the need
to sustain or maintain its balance. If one cannot see this in the
         Almost all of us Christians are very familiar with the creation ecosystem, our physical bodies (body) is a good example of the
story in the Bible. As we see in Genesis 1: 1- 31, God who inspired goodness and order of creation. We have our whole body as one but
the author of the creation story revealed that creation is very good it has its many parts with their specific functions which are very
and well ordered. “God saw everything that He had made, and ordered, all these different parts will function for the well-being of the
indeed, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31). This means that there whole body. Our physical bodies or the human body is the one which
was goodness, love, order, harmony, peace, tranquility, joy and all connects us with the eco-system or with mother nature. This is a
the good elements that one can enumerate to describe such a state. great reminder on why we as human persons need to do our role or
Many would use the word “paradise” in describing the situation of the functions as part of the whole eco-system or mother nature. This is
creatures in the beginning. God created the human persons at the how good and wonderful God’s design or creation is.
last part and put them in the “Garden of Eden”. He created them
according to His image and likeness. The human person being the        God created the human persons at the last part and put them as
likeness and image of God further reiterates that creation is really overseers of creation (“The  Lord God took the man and put him in
very beautiful and very good. After God, created the human persons, the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. Genesis 2:15). With the
there was His “command” to them to “subdue” and take charge over human persons as overseers or stewards, creation was expected to
all the other creatures. sustain its order and harmony and with every creature’s function, all
would flow according to the plan of the Creator until creation will
reach its “perfection”.  This was supposed to be perceived end of the
      “So, God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them;
project male
of the and female
Creator.   he
created them.    God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and
subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds ofThe theHuman
air andPerson Being
over every the Likeness and Image of God
living
thing that moves upon the earth.”  God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon
the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have      
them In for
relation
food. to their role as stewards of creation, the human
beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth,created
persons were in the
everything thatimage and likeness of God. Though the
has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.human persons are still part of creation, they are somewhat distinct
had made, and indeed, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:27-31) from the rest of creatures. Being made in the image and likeness of
God, means that the human persons or we have some qualities
which God also possesses though God possesses these qualities
 The Goodness and Order of Creation perfectly compared to us. Examples of these are goodness, love,
The goodness and order of creation would tell us beauty, truth, order, reason, wisdom, and many others. So, if God is
that everything on earth is beautiful and created with a purpose and good, we are also good and we have conscience which will always
function and that everything is interconnected or inter-related. This is guide or reminds us to always do good, if God is love, we are also
being proven by our experiences and observations in our present life. capable of loving and being loved, if God is truth, we are also truthful
The function of one of these creatures, even the smallest thing on or we do not like lies, if God is orderly, He also gave us reason or
earth has an effect to the well-being and role of other creatures.  mind which will guide us to always seek for what is orderly or correct
Therefore, if one of these creatures is functioning well, all the others for us to do, if God  can create things, He also gave
us will and freedom or freewill so that we can also continue doing
things for the good of all creation. To go deeper into this aspect,
there are many other faculties of the human person of which in
relation or with the guidance or “control” the other faculties should
function for the good of the human persons themselves and the other
creatures. To mention some, these are our passions such as pride,
anger, emotion, instincts and others. This means that we are like
God or we mirror God in most of our traits as human beings. This is
just a glimpse of the picture of the original state of the human person
and the whole of creation. Again, with the human persons as
overseers or stewards, creation was expected to flow according to
the plan of the Creator until its perceived end which is the perfection
or completion of all.  tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and
 The Human Persons’ Responsibility
 The distinction of the human persons from the rest of the
other creatures (being made in the image and likeness of God)
clearly reveals the responsibility that they should perform. Despite
this, to guide them, the Creator still directly revealed to them this role
as being stewards of the other creatures by telling them “be fruitful
and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over
the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living
thing that moves upon the earth.”  (Genesis 1: 28) With this, clearly
God sets the human persons and the rest of creatures to function in
accordance with His Divine plan.
Lesson 2: The Disruption of the Order of Creation: The Cause of
God’s Mission
The Different Scenes of the Human Persons’ Deviation from the
Plan of the Creator and The God’s given Chances for
Reparations
The Biblical authors presented to us the different scenes and ways of
how the human persons deviated from His plan. The Biblical authors
often used the word “disobedience” for this attitude of not following
the plan of the Creator. Here are the different situations of
people’s disobedience to God’s command/plan:
1. Adam and Eve and The Eating of the Fruit of the Tree in the
Middle of the Garden of Eden
        With their very good state in the Garden of Eden called
“paradise”, there should be no reason for Adam and Eve to look for
other sources of happiness or contentment. In spite of this, how
come that they still entertain the temptations of “being like God”, “that
the fruit of the tree appears to be good to eat” and the likes.
“when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like
God knowing good and evil …,  “the  woman saw that the tree was
good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the
ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate.” (Genesis 3:5-6)
 
          If you read the full text of this narrative of Adam and Eve’s
obeying the temptation rather than that of God’s command, then you
can see that there are three human faculties that they did not use or
they misuse which led them to give in to the temptation. First is the
temptation of “being like God”. As we know that temptations are
either not true but they appear as something which is true which is
called apparent truth or they are half-truth which means that one can
become like that in some aspects but not in all aspects. In the case
of Adam and Eve, they can become like God but they cannot
become God totally. So, their minds were just confused since in
reality they are already like God who knew between good and bad.
The devil just presented the reality to them in a distorted manner just
to push them to accept the temptation. In this instance, the human
faculty that they did not exercise was their mind or reasoning. They
did not reflect on what was really the reality all about, and they did
not foresee the consequence of their action if they will obey the
temptation. The other human faculty that they did not use in line with
their minds or reasoning is passion. Passion refers to the emotional
elements like pride, anger, joy, pleasure and others. In this case,
there are two passions which were being misused or misled, these
are pleasure and pride. Adam and Eve’s notion of the fruit of the tree
being good to eat presents human situations today of engaging with
 pleasurable things which should not be since they are either against
human dignity, or they are not yet in the proper time and place to be
done, or pleasures which are damaging to the health or well being of
people. Examples of these are: engaging in pre-marital sex,
womanizing or adultery, prostitution, drinking too much liquor, taking
prohibited drugs, watching pornographic materials, engaging in
gambling and the likes. With this, it was clear that Adam and
Eve confused these pleasures which are often temporal with
authentic happiness or contentment which is a deeper human
experience and they last long. Adam and Eve did not also listen to
their conscience properly or they exercise consequent conscience
which is often damaging. The other passion being misused in relation
with the eating of the fruit of the tree is pride. “.. you will become like
God”. Pride is supposed to be used for people to aspire for higher
forms of development for the well-being of people and creation. In
the case of Adam and Eve, pride was use in a manner of trying to
topple down the other being instead of using him as an inspiration to
aspire for higher good realities. This is the pride which is
contaminated by a bad passion called jealousy or envy. Their
aspirations to become gods was what makes their action classified
as disobedience. The last human faculty that was not use properly or
being abused since it was not use with the guidance of the mind or
reason and conscience was freedom. Adam and Eve allowed their
freedom to be misused by not allowing it to be guided by the other
human faculties we mentioned above. To sum it up, the story of the
temptation of Adam and Eve presents to us that almost all of their
important human faculties (mentioned above) given by God were not
use to confront the reality in front of them.    3. The Story of Noah
        Despite all that had happened, God being LOVE (His nature is
LOVE) did not erased the human persons on earth but still allowed
them to continue their existence with just some difficulties in living as
a result of their dis-obedience from the Divine plan. So, God still
gave the human persons chances for reparations of the damages to
creation caused by their disobedience.       The story of Noah shows another scene of how people were so
2. Cain and Abel
         The Story of Cain and Abel narrates to us another worst
consequence of allowing ourselves to be ruled by bad passion which
is envy or jealousy. Allowing envy to affect us in a negative way can
motivate us in a very worst manner. Envy should push us to strive to
do better in our endeavors to gain better harvest and even rewards,
but in the case of Cain, he allowed envy to push him to kill his
brother Abel which he thought was the solution for him to have the
recognition or rewards which in reality cannot be. At the end of this
case, one cannot attain what he/she really wants for, but on the
contrary, will receive failures and condemnations. In the story, it was
obvious that Cain was not doing good in his actions and his work and
even in giving offerings to God as implied in God’s word in the text
“.. Then the Lord said to Cain: Why are you angry? Why are you
dejected?  If you act rightly, you will be accepted.” (Genesis 4: 6-7).
When God asked Cain on why he killed his brother Abel, he even
said “am I my brothers’ keeper”.
In this story, it is very clear that envy can push us to do
something evil if we allow it, and the mandate of God to love or take
care of His creation like our brothers and sisters and even our world
is violated. This incident happens in our present times by students
who are copying or cheating to have high grades, and the worst is
the actual killing of political candidates before election, and the many
likes. Even in our small communities, we can observe how envy can
push one to destroy the name or image of his/her neighbor. We have
the so-called crab mentality attitude. All these kinds of attitudes will
really destroy the order and harmony in our community, society, and
even in mother nature.  Again, despite what happened to Cain and
Abel, God still allowed the human race to continue to multiply.    
The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that eve
the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him
beings I have created—people together with animals and creeping things and birds o
the sight of the Lord. (Genesis: 5-8)
wicked and that they only follow what they want even if it is bad and
as the text said, it was even continuous. Despite God’s plan of wiping
out the people on earth, He did not do it totally but still look with favor
on people who are righteous and doing good which was represented
by Noah and his family.
 The Noah’s story shows us a situation where there seems no
be other ways of stopping the hard headedness or sinfulness of
people but to wipe them out except those who are righteous. This
situation is reflected in our country by the non-stop
crimes everywhere because of the culture of impunity (the criminals
keep on doing their evil ways since they are not being catch by law
enforcers or if they are caught and imprisoned, it is very easy for
them to escape from their accountability by paying the authorities or
through bail since the criminals have lots of money from their criminal
activities.) Looking at our situation before the pandemic, the Covid19
phenomenon is a version of the flood during the time of Noah for
people to stop their wicked cultures and practices and reflect on what
is really true, authentic, just, and good for the human person and
creation. Our problem now is that many of our leaders or the people
on top are even the ones who cannot read the signs of the times that
God is giving us. The strong message of this pandemic is really to go
back to the basic, to reset our values on what will really
promote authentic human development, the ones which will protect
human dignity and promote authentic joy and contentment to the
human person.  As mentioned above, these should be characterized
by truthfulness, justice, goodness, and being lasting  and not those
shallow enjoyment which are just temporal and even damaging to the
human person and to mother nature.
Again, God gave the human persons chances for reparations
through the family of Noah.
 
4. The Tower of Babel
        Some are telling that the ancient people built the tower of Babel
for them to reach God but this is not really what is stated in our Bible.
Instead, the ancient people built a tower for them to gain a name,
recognition or now in our term called FAME. Again, same with the
case of Adam and Eve, there are two violations or deviations from
the design of the Creator. First, they did not obey God’s command of
spreading over all the earth (Genesis 1:28), and the desire to spread
one’s name (Fame) instead of that of God. If you recall before the
pandemic, this attitude of proclaiming yourself, name or
achievements was very rampant especially now that people are so
closed or united to one another through technology (global). This
was done individually and by big entities like countries,
organizations, schools, and others who want to make or set world
records and other ways of being famous. The problem here is that
they want to set world-records or to be famous even at the expense
of other people like they demand so much effort from their
constituents or workers for their dreams to be achieved. At the end,
their workers are abused with too much endeavors which are not
paid justly (abuse of laborers) and when their dreams are achieved,
the workers are not also part of the reward that they received.
Another message of this story is the wrong use of unity,
(globalization) instead of uniting for a good end/purpose, some
people use unity to topple down others or worst even to cause the
death of others. This is what is happening at present by the people
who authored the covid19 virus. It is also easy for them to unite
through technology and they can meet and agree on how they can
destroy other people and be the only ones who will survive. In
another angle, before the pandemic, the global trends were pursuit of
fame, wealth, power, and other ways of how one can be recognized
by others. As we’ve said, these were done even at the expense of
others. This might be the reason why God allowed this pandemic to
happen to stop all of these and go back to the drawing board on how
to really promote authentic and common human development and
happiness.
       Biblical authors have shown to us these different scenes of how
people keep on deviating from the design of the Creator. It is clear
that it is also continuous which is why this is called “original sin” as
we have expounded in our CFED 1033 course. This is why if people
do not cooperate with the divine plan despite the many given
chances, then God will have to come down and directly intervene in
the lives of mankind for the restoration of His creation.
Lesson 3: The Hints of the Coming (Incarnation) of God and His
Renewed People to Restore His Creation
The Hints of the Coming (Incarnation) of God to Restore His
Creation
1. The Coming of God to Crash the Devil in the Lives of People in
God’s words to Eve
         In the story of Adam and Eve, there is an escape goat for their
act of disobedience from God’s command which also reveals
the belief of the Biblical authors on why in some or even in most
instances people keep on committing sin. This is also the reason why
God gave the human persons chances to reform their sinful ways
and to fight the influence of this being. This is the existence of
the devil which in some or most instances would strongly temp or
influence people’s minds to follow or do sinful actions. With the very
beautiful place created by God called the Garden of Eden or the
state of paradise, how come that all of a sudden there was this
serpent (some Biblical authors use to symbolize the devil) which
came and tempted Eve by distorting the truth about their situation
and God’s plan for them. So, the Biblical authors strongly believed in
the existence of this devil who keeps on wanting people to follow his
own ways which are contradictory to the design of the creator. If we
recall the story of how the devil came into existence, it was the same
cause which is pride, envy and abuse of freedom which made him
(originally was an angel Lucifer) became such.
After God allowed Adam and Eve to continue their existence
with little “punishments” in their way of living, there was this Hint on
the plan of God to come and directly intervene in the history of
mankind if they continue living their sinful ways and keeps on
obeying the influence of the devil.   creation back to Himself. This was why God had to shape His
 “Because you have done this ,……I will put enmity between you
and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will
strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15)
 The photo above gives us a clear idea on who is the one who will
strike the head of the serpent (devil). The one striking the head of the
serpent in this photo is a woman but the pronoun used to refer as to
who in the Biblical text is “he”, (“he will strike your head”, some
Biblical translations use the word “they”). So, who is this woman, and
who is this he? For us Christians especially the Catholic ones, it is
very easy to identify the woman in the photo who is the Blessed
Virgin Mary and the “he” refers to the one whom Mary will give birth
to who is no other than Jesus Christ. So, as early as the time of the
ancient people, God really planned to come down and crash the
devil’s influence in the lives of people if people cannot resist it, and
this will be unfolded in the birth of Jesus, the Messiah.  
 
2. The Call of Abraham and its Broad Implication
 
The Lord said to Abram: Go forth from your land, your relatives,
and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. will
make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your
name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who
bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the
earth will find blessing in you. (Genesis 12:1-3)
 
        Most often, we hear some people and even some preachers
saying that Abraham is the father of many if not all nations which
is not really the case. Abraham is just the father of the Hebrew nation
or the Israelites. In the text above, it is very clear that God will raise a
nation (people) from Abraham who will be His instrument to restore
back people to Him as implied in the words “All the families of the
earth will find blessing in you”.  Abraham and his descendants will
be God’s instruments to connect people with Him and restore all
chosen people (the Israelites) as His special possession. But as
we’ve expounded in our CFED 1033 discussions, the Israelites did
not live up to the mission that God wanted them to do but became
self-righteous and followed their own views and most often selfish
plans despite the guidance of God and His many reminders through
the many prophets God had sent. So, with those turn of events, God
will really be the one to start the mission all over again through His
incarnation in the person of Jesus Christ before He will pass to a new
or renewed people of God, the ones (Church) who will be founded by
Jesus.
        Just to correct the mis-information about Abraham, he is not the
biological father of all nations but he is the father of our faith in
 God/YHWH.In that sense, Abraham because of his great faith in  
God/YHWH, will be our connection with God is our father of faith.
  He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom  in
sabbath day. He stood up to read  and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. H
found the passage where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, becau
3. The Prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah
to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captive
  to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to t

Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eye
name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14) looked intently at him.  He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in yo
21)
 
         This was the Word of God to King Ahaz through the prophet
Isaiah in the midst of the coming political upheaval in their         Summarizing the discussions above, it is very clear that God
country/kingdom and due to their lack of faith or trust in God. While will raise a nation or community or group of people to do the mission
God assured the King or His people of His presence in the midst of of restoring back all creation to Himself. Through the call of
the coming political trouble if they keep their faith/trust in Him, this Abraham, his descendants, (the Israelites) is understood to be this
statement has also deep implication as interpreted by many Biblical nation or people to do the mission. This was proven in history as God
experts. According to them, this would strongly suggest the coming really raised the Israelites as His own special possession. In case
of the Messiah in whom God’s presence for His people will be that this people (Israelites) would fail God’s plan, God gave different
concretely or historically manifested; and this would be fully realized hints on His coming to renew this people whom He will send to do
in the coming of Jesus Christ. This hint of the coming of God Himself the mission. All the hints of this coming of God was fulfilled in the
(incarnation) was because the Israelites whom God Has raised as coming of Jesus Christ who came and personally did the mission
His own special possession to spread salvation for all could not carry until He passed it to the renewed people of God whom He raised or
out the mission God planned or asked them to do.    founded. As fully discussed in our CFED 1033, this renewed people
of God founded by no other than Jesus Christ is the Church. To
        Still through the prophet Isaiah, there is a follow up on this assure His presence in them when going for the mission, God sent
imminent incarnation of God if the Israelites will really fail God’s them the Holy Spirit during the feast of the Israelites / Jews called
purpose in raising them as His people. This is found in Isaiah 6:1-3, Pentecost. So, the Church with the Holy Spirit is now the people
and Jesus would later affirm that when He read the scroll of the that God will send to continue His mission personally started by
prophet Isaiah in a synagogue and telling the people there that no other than Jesus Christ.            
through Him, that prophecy is fulfilled.   
        The Church by nature is missionary, and the
ultimate source of the mission is no other than God.  Despite the
       The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He hasclear
Church’s sentnature
me to bring good
as missionary that all of us members of the
news to the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim libertyChurch to the are
captives,
missionaries in ourthe
release to own ways, our idea of a missionary is
prisoners, To announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day thoseof who
vindication
really goby our God;
to remote areas, to evangelize people who never
To comfort all who mourn; to place on those who mourn in Zion a diadem instead of ashes, To give
heard the word of God from themtheoilBible. In the beginning, this was not
of gladness instead of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a faint spirit. ( yet clear also to the members of the Church since the Church was
 just starting to grow and expand at that time. This is also why in our
CFED 1033, we also mentioned the early “kinds” of priest according
to spirituality such as the diocesan/ secular (serving their own local
parishes) and the Monks (live a secluded life), and we put the
missionary at the last. So, later when the Church or Church
communities were already somewhat stable in many places, that was
the time that many priests thought of going to remote areas to
evangelize people who never heard God’s Word from the Bible and
these priests are the ones we call missionaries. If there is such a
term as “more missionary”, this should be their level or tag since they
are doing the mission of the Church in a more challenging way
compared to the diocesan and the monks. All the different groups or
congregation of missionaries are doing the mission of the Church,
they only have few differences in terms of their focus and strategies
in doing the mission. Let us have a glimpse on some of these
missionaries so we can make some sort of comparisons in terms of
their way of carrying out the mission of the Church and also for us to
be clear on what are some elements which makes the CICM distinct
from these other missionary groups/congregations.       founding many of the important towns in Bataan and Pangasinan as
 
4. Some Missionary Congregations:
 
4.1. The Augustinians
       The Augustinian missionaries started as a group or no specific
founder in 1244 in Italy although they may have stemmed from the
Augustinian monks who started way back in the 11 th century. They
were the first Catholic missionaries to arrive in the Philippines (Cebu)
on April 28, 1565. Their arrival signaled the official start of the
Christianization of the Philippines. They were able to found, build and
evangelize more than 300 towns and churches in what is now Metro
Manila (then Province of Tondo), Cebu, Bulacan, Pampanga,
Batangas, Panay Island, the two Ilocos Provinces, Tarlac, Nueva
Ecija, Abra, La Union and during the early years also in Negros,
Leyte, Mindoro and Laguna.
        Aside from their apostolic labors, the friars also introduced so
many things to the Filipinos: from agriculture to printing, from building
bridges and dams to building roads, from cooking Spanish viands,
desserts and pastries to building magnificent buildings such as
churches, convents and schools that effectively urbanized and
hispanized their flocks.
4.2. The Dominicans
 
         Founded by St. Dominic in Prouille, France in 1215. Within 40
years of their foundation, they concentrated in the schools and
universities in Europe. They were among the first and most
energetic missionaries in the “expansion of Europe”
        In modern times they broadened their preaching apostolate to
include work in the fields of radio, television, film, and stage.
         The first Dominicans to arrive in the Philippines was Domingo
Salazar, the first Bishop of Manila and his companion Cristobal de
Salvatierra in 1581. Later, this missionary group is credited with
well as a few in the present-day province of Tarlac.
        In 1594, they evangelized the fertile Cagayan Valley,
establishing many of the major towns that we know today. One of the
lasting legacies of the Dominicans are the massive brick churches
they built in the Cagayan Valley. The best example of this, and
perhaps, can be said, the peak of Dominican brick architecture is the
stunning Tumauini Church in Tumauini, Isabela.
         In the intellectual front, the Order established in 1611 what now
is the University of Sto. Tomas, the first university in Asia and
predates Harvard University by 60 years.
4.3. Society of Jesus (S.J.): The Jesuits
    
        Society of Jesus (S.J.)  whose members are called Jesuits was
founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola are noted for
its educational, missionary, and charitable works.
Almost from the beginning, education and scholarship became their
principal work. The early Jesuits, however, also
produced preachers and catechists who devoted themselves to the
care of the young, the sick, prisoners, prostitutes, and soldiers.
      The society entered the foreign mission field within months of its
founding, later, they were oppressed and even expelled by many
leaders in Europe. Their congregation was abolished in 1773 but was
reestablished in 1814.
      They are involved in a broad and complex list of activities,
including the field of communications, social
work, ecumenism, human rights, and even politics. In 1968, they
refocused the order with “a preferential option for the poor,” and the
Jesuit ranks experienced a rise in the popularity of liberation
theology.
       In 1581, the first Jesuits from the Province of Mexico arrived in
the Philippines where they established many schools in different
places.
        In 1768, the Jesuits were banished from the Philippines by King
Charles III of Spain and were only allowed to return to the Philippines
on June 14, 1859 where they intend to focus in Mindanao.
      On August 5, 1859, the Jesuits began a school in Manila by a
school which they renamed Escuela Municipal, and classes began
on December 10, 1859 with just 23 boys. Three months later the
school had increased to 170 students. By 1909, the school was
formally renamed the Ateneo de Manila. Since that time, other
Ateneos and parishes were founded in many parts of Mindanao and
same ideals of excellence, of seeking to do more for love of God and
neighbor and country imbued them all.
 
4.4. Societas Verbi Divini (Latin) (S.V.D.) or called Divine Word
Missionary
         Societas Verbi Divini (Latin) or called Society of the Divine
Word in English who also  call themelves Divine Word
Missionaries was founded in 1875 at Steyl, Neth/ Holland, by Arnold
Janssen to work in the foreign missions. Its members are engaged in
all phases of missionary activity, from teaching in universities,
colleges, and secondary schools to working among primitive
peoples. The training of a native clergy has been a major work of this
society in all its missions. Divine Word Missionaries have traditionally
been active in publishing and disseminating Catholic literature.
         In the Philippines, the Divine Word Missionaries arrived in
Bangued, Abra in 1909 and have expanded to other provinces in the
country. They are also known for their method of prophetic
dialogue, in our world deeply divided by belief, social class, culture
and religion, seeking to bridge the divisions that keep human beings
separated from one another and from God. They
understand dialogue as an attitude of solidarity, respect, and
love that is to permeate all of their activities.
Lesson 4. The Name (in Latin): Congregatio Immaculati Cordis
Mariae or the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (in
Tagalog: Kongregasyon [Kapatiran] ng Kalinislinisang Puso ni
Maria)
From the reason as to why we were given such a name to
the historical lineage and significance of what a name has come to
represent, our name, beyond its objective purpose,
encompasses what and who each of us is. Its essence is at the
very heart of our existence. It signified what tribe you came from.
 
We have always traced the roots of our origin and identity
beginning with our name as one compelling aspect. This
understanding shall shed light on the most important aspect in our
lives which is our distinctiveness while bringing to the forefront of our
minds an awareness of Biblical concepts that were thus far
untapped. Finally, we shall attempt to define its relevance to
examine the relationship between one’s name and one’s
purpose.
Names are deeply important to human beings, a crucial way
of understanding not just the world around us, but each other. A
surname roots us in history and family tradition, while first names
establish more particular identity and personality; you may become
quite attached to your name, or you may wish you were called and from the hand of all who hate us;
something else. 72 
to perform the mercy promised to our fathers,
and to remember his holy covenant,
But does it really matter what your name is? Do you 73 
the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, 74 to
become what you're called, or are you called what you are? The grant us
Bible is full of names, and those names are full of meaning. Turning that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
to Scripture may help us see whether we determine our names, or if might serve him without fear,
they determine us. 75 
in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of
our life.
The Birth of John the Baptist (Lk. 1:57-80) 76 
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most
High;
Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and
57 
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
she gave birth to a son. 58 And her neighbors and kinsfolk 77 
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and in the forgiveness of their sins,
they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came 78 
through the tender mercy of our God,
to circumcise the child; and they would have named him when the day shall dawn upon[a] us from on high
Zechari′ah after his father, 60 but his mother said, “Not so; 79 
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the
he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of shadow of death,
your kindred is called by this name.” 62 And they made to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him
called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, “His And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he
80 

name is John.” And they all marveled. 64 And immediately was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to
his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he Israel.
spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their
neighbors. And all these things were talked about through Names in the Bible can signify origin. Sacred Scriptures
all the hill country of Judea; 66 and all who heard them laid present examples of the inherent connection between name and
them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child mission. After naming John, his father Zechariah, filled with the Holy
be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him. Spirit, prophesied that his son will be called prophet of the Most
High, and his mission will be to go before the Lord to prepare His
ways. Jesus, on the other hand, will be given “the throne of David His
Zechariah’s Prophecy father, and He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of His
And his father Zechari′ah was filled with the Holy Spirit,
67  kingdom there will be no end.”
and prophesied, saying,  
68 
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
 
for he has visited and redeemed his people,
69 
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David, The Birth of Jesus Foretold (Lk. 1:26-38)
70 
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of 26 
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God
old,
to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin
71 
that we should be saved from our enemies,
 betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And
he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is
with you!”[a] 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying,
and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this
might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,
Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold,
you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you
shall call his name Jesus.
32 
He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most
High;
and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father
David,
33 
and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever;
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I
34 
have no husband?” 35 And the angel said to her,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born[b] will be called holy,
the Son of God.
And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age
36 
has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with
her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be
impossible.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid
of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And
the angel departed from her.
Names were more than just labels. To ancient Hebrews and
Babylonians, nothing existed until it had a name. Its name
expressed its character.
Nowadays we do not really identify with the meaning of our
names. Most of the time, our parents chose our name because it
sounded nice with our last name, or because they wanted to honor
one of our ancestors. But in the Old Testament, names were
bearers of the person’s identity.
Many Bible names contain "El" or "Yah," which are Hebrew
words for God. Notice the "el" at the end of Michael, Daniel, and
Samuel. Can you hear the "yah" at the end of Obadiah, Nehemiah,
and Jeremiah?
In Old Testament times, children were usually named by
their mothers. These "El" and "Yah" names were meant to honor
God and ensure that God was a part of their children's lives.
A name change can signify a new identity. We confer
identities on people through the use of nicknames. In some cultures
a name change carries great significance. Consider one ancient
biblical name change. God took care to change the name of Abram
(high father) to Abraham (father of multitudes) after promising him a
lot of descendants (Genesis 17:5). His wife also had her name
changed from Sarai (quarrelsome) to Sara (Princess) (Genesis
17:15). Jacob's name means "supplanter," and he lived up to his
name when he stole the inherited rights belonging to his older
brother, Esau. When he became a changed man, he changed his
name to Israel (he strives with God or ”power in God”).The new
name gave him a new identity, and a new future for a nation.
In the New Testament, When Jesus wanted to emphasize
that Simon would be a steadfast upholder of his teachings, he gave
him the name Peter, based on the Greek word for rock. (John 1:42).
So, names have great symbolic import in
Scripture. While there are trends in names at different times or eras,
as these shifts occur, so do our common ideas of what aspects of a
person each name represents. This suggests that we can quickly
develop shared conceptualizations of what newly trending names
represent in terms of physical appearance, personality and behavior.
Your name is a crucial factor in developing your sense of self, and
thus helps propel you forward on various paths of life and career.
“How about CICM, what can be forebode relating to the
implication of its name and missionary identity? What does this
name point towards to?”
It is intriguing to ask what stuff “founders" are made of, as there
may well be no common answer. All Congregations are marked by
their own charisma, which may be as similar and yet as
individualized as two fingerprints. The Vatican, amid all the changes
it initiated, took particular care to remind religious institutes to hold on
to the charisma of their founder, lest something of the beauty and
variety of the religious life in the Church be lost. It is in this rich
variety that CICM has its own place. There is something of the
fingerprint of the Founder that continues to give CICM its own face,
and its own contribution to the Church.
 
The Name (in Latin): Congregatio Immaculati Cordis
Mariae or the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of  Mary (in
Tagalog: Kongregasyon Kapatiran ng Kalinislinisang Puso ni
Maria)
Born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1823, Father Theophile
Verbist had ambitions to become a priest ever since he was a
boy. So, while his twin brother looked towards becoming a lawyer,
he headed into a priestly vocation. In the years after his ordination,
he was a prefect in the minor seminary in Malines, a chaplain at the
Belgian Military Academy, and a diocesan priest in the archdiocese
of Malines-Brussels.
His first serious thoughts of being a missionary came when
he was already 37 years old. Inspired by the work of the Holy
Childhood Association which cared for abandoned children in the Far
East and in other parts of the world, Father Verbist felt that he, too,
should do something more for the poor and needy in China. He
sought the permission of Cardinal Engelbert Sterckx, Archbichop of
Malines and Cardinal Alessandro Barnabo, Prefect of the
Propagation of the Faith. For the realization of his plan, they directed
him to established a kind of a congregation, along the lines of the  institute becomes more and more multicultural.
Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. By strenuous efforts
he overcame numerous obstacles, until his Belgian mission in China
was finally approved and finally obtain the approval of Cardinal
Sterckx and the Belgian bishops to establish a new Belgian
missionary congregation. The canonical establishment of the
congregation by Cardinal Sterckx is dated 28 November
1862.The new foundation’s first formation house was located at an
old site of pilgrimage called Scheut, in the municipality of Anderlecht,
near Brussels, Belgium. Thus the name: 'Scheut Missions or
Missionaries of Scheut'.
              After the proclamation of the Dogma of the Immaculate
Conception by Pope Pius IX in 1854 in his papal bull Ineffabilis
Deus, and the assignment of the liturgical feast, there was the
rapid spread of the devotion to the “Immaculate Heart of
Mary”. This was one of the circumstances when Fr. Theophile
Verbist and his first companions/co-founders Frs. Alois van Segvelt,
Frans Vranckx, and Remi Verlinden unanimously agreed to
consecrate the Mission to “the Holy Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus
Christ and to the Immaculate Heart of the Very Blessed Virgin Mary,
to whom they committed themselves to recommend daily the
interests of the Congregation.”  It is thus clear that they were placing
the Congregation under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The letters CICM are an abbreviation in Latin of the name
Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae or Congregation of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
 
However, the CICM missionaries are also known by several
other names depending on the country where they are working.
 
In Europe and Africa they are widely known as
the “Missionaries of Scheut” or “Scheutist”, Scheut being the
name of the locality near Brussels where the institute was
founded. In the past CICM missionaries were sometimes known as
the “Belgian Fathers” since the institute was founded in Belgium and
most of its members were Priest. However, the institute was never
an exclusively Belgium institute and includes both priest and
brothers. Thus this name has fallen out of use, especially as the
 
In North America the institute is known as “Missionhurst –
CICM” and its members referred to as “Missionhurst Priests and
Brothers”. Hurst is an old English word meaning a small hill or a
wooded rise. As the headquarters of the missionary institute in North
America are located on a small wooded hill, this became the popular
name of the institute in that part of the world.
 
 On 2 November 1907 Fr. Devesse, together with his equally
spirited eight CICM companions, arrived in the Philippines to start the
first CICM mission in the country. During those early years of
missionary work in Baguio, the CICM Fathers were locally known
as the “Missionary Priests of the Church of San Patricio,” since
they were identified with St Patrick church that they built. Later on,
they were commonly called the “Baguio Fathers,” or simply the
“Belgian Fathers.”
Lesson 5: The Current CICM Emblem
Logos are special. They are not just a combination of
shapes, text, and graphics. They tell stories.
There is also another component that goes into a remarkable
logo: meaning. With the right mark, you convey everything your
organization stands for, your values as a brand, and your heritage
too. Logos are distilled insights into your brand essence.
For some congregations, showcasing the heart of their
organization means going back to traditions. An emblem is one of the
most original forms of brand mark. In a world that’s continually
evolving, there’s something to be said for this sense of heritage. After
all, even as new ideas emerge every day, many consumers are still
more interested in what’s trustworthy and well-established than
what’s “new.”
As symbols of tradition, strength, and security, the
emblem style logo can spark unique relationships with your
target audience. In today’s topic, we are going to dive into the
history and definition of the CICM emblem and unravel the different
symbolism and its long-standing implications in the life of the
missionaries.
The Current CICM Emblem (1955)
The current CICM emblem includes in its upper portion the
Virgin with a Child inside a trunk, who is Our Lady of Grace of
Scheut, which was venerated in the village where Fr.
Verbist established the first headquarters of the Congregation.
Karel Denys, CICM published an article on the CICM
emblem with precious indications on the miraculous trunk in Scheut
and on the statue of Our Lady of Grace.
The Trunk with the Virgin and Child
This is the oldest element that can be found in all the CICM
coats of arms, except for that of China, Mongolia and Congo. It is
thus good to give some historical explanations on this subject.
In the series of articles by J. Calbrecht mentioned above, we
read that since the year 1445 a statuette attached to a linden tree by
a pious shepherd and dedicated to Our Lady of Grace had been
venerated at Scheut. Scheut was then a village outside the town of
Brussels, in the midst of the countryside. The story goes that pilgrims
went to this sanctuary where miracles had been duly noted. In 1455,
a chapel was erected there. A little later, seven Carthusian monks
settled next to the chapel. In the course of the centuries, the chapel
was destroyed three times-by the Protestants in 1580, by the
emperor-sacristan Joseph II in 1783, and during the French
Revolution. For about sixty years, the chapel remained in ruins and
abandoned, until in 1855 a well-to-do inhabitant of Brussels, J. C.
Brabandt, who could no longer stand the profanation of this
sanctuary, bought the land and the chapel and had it restored at his
own expense.
1. Rutten wrote that our Founder Theophile Verbist
"had a great devotion to Mary that brought him to Scheut, and it was
the devotion of several servants of Mary who gave him the sanctuary
of Our Lady of Grace." In October 1861, Msgr. J. M. Mouly, Lazarist,
Apostolic Vicar of Peking, while visiting Brussels, confirmed the
possibility of ceding to the "Belgian priests" a large part of the
vicariate of Mongolia. Immediately after this visit, Theophile Verbist
and his first companions-Alois Van Segvelt, Frans Vranckx, and
Remi Verlinden-resolved to meet regularly to occupy themselves with
the organization of the Mission and to draw the Statutes of the new
Congregation." During the first conference, they unanimously agreed
to consecrate the Mission to the Holy Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus
Christ and the Immaculate Heart of the Very Blessed Virgin Mary, to
whom they committed themselves to recommend daily the interests
of the Congregation.
A little later, the first Statutes of the Congregation were
approved by Cardinal E. Sterckx of Mechlin (November 28, 1862).
Some words of the "first conference" report are recognizable: "The
Congregation is dedicated to the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, under the invocation of the Immaculate Heart of the Very
Blessed Virgin Mary" (Art. 2). By the will of our Founder Theophile
Verbist and his companions, the new Congregation would carry the
title "Immaculate Heart of Mary" who will be its Patroness. Our
Founder and his companions did not choose the name
"Congregation of Our Lady of Grace."
Why did our Founder and his companions choose the name
CICM? In an article on the devotion to the Heart of Mary, L. Barbé
has given us without a doubt a good answer: "The proclamation of
the dogma of the Immaculate Conception [in 1854], in reviving the
Marian devotion, contributed to the rapid development of the
devotion to the Heart of Mary and the spread of the name of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.' It was then that its liturgical feast was
adopted about everywhere in the world." Given such current of
devotion at that time to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it is
understandable why our Founder and his companions chose the
name CICM.
And why did they, and others after them, nevertheless keep
the miraculous tree trunk of Our Lady of Grace as the CICM coat of
arms? Here are some indications. It was at Scheut, near the
sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace, where the CICM was born. Our
Founder and his companions lived there; they met there many times;
they immersed themselves in the history of the sanctuary; and they
prayed to Our Lady of Grace. It was there, too, where they prayed
one last time before departing for mission. After the 1974 Chapter, a
century after the death of our Founder, the old sanctuary of Our Lady
of Grace was replaced by another chapel. The statue, which J. C.
Brabandt had placed in his chapel and restored in the years 1855-
1860, is now found in the new chapel at Scheut. A beautiful CICM
emblem executed in ceramic had been mounted against the outer
wall of the new provincial house.
The Heart Surrounded by Twelve Stars
The Heart surrounded by twelve stars: What does this
mean? A difficult question! It is generally said that the Heart with the
twelve stars comes from a text of the Revelation (12:1).
Let us look at the text: "And a great sign appeared in
heaven, a Woman adorned with the sun, with the moon under her
feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."
In a note about this text in the La Sainte Bible, the
commentator concludes his reflection thus: "With the image of the
woman, did John also wish to symbolize the Virgin, the new Eve?
(Rv 12:1). This seems questionable." With regard to Revelation 12:1,
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1993) notes that the identity
of the woman has been debated. According to a traditional Catholic
interpretation, this woman is Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who is also
the new Eve. Others say that this woman is the heavenly Jerusalem,
wisdom personified or even the Church. Our Predecessors opted
with no problem for the traditional Catholic interpretation: Mary is the
woman with the twelve stars.
Regarding the second emblem composed at the end of the
19th century, we have seen that the miraculous tree trunk of Scheut
with the Virgin and Child was replaced by our Predecessors with the
Heart surrounded by twelve stars. The Heart is the Virgin, the
Woman surrounded by twelve stars. In opting for the traditional
Catholic interpretation, our Predecessors did nothing exceptional. In
fact, there already existed at a Carmelite convent in Brussels a
beautiful statue of the Virgin crowned with twelve stars. "This statue
of the Immaculate is gothic, in wood, without doubt from the 15th
century. It represents the 'Woman crowned with twelve stars' (Rv
12:1)."
But did our Predecessors know of this statue at a Carmelite
convent in Brussels? We know that Karel Van Sante, CICM,
assistant to the Superior General from 1887 to 1920 and rector of the
Scheut-Brussels house from 1890 to 1900, was in contact with most
of the Carmelite convents in Belgium during his rectorate. His
correspondence, preserved in our Archives, attests to the fact. But
we cannot elaborate on this matter.
 Cor Urnum et Anima Una
 
‘One heart, One soul” — this is the translated Latin term of
the inspired motto of CICM. This will be further discussed in the
succeeding topics, but to give you the whole depiction of the
emblem, let us have a glimpse of the meaningful implication
embedded behind this motto.
The expression is taken from the Acts of the Apostles (4,32).
It means “one heart and one soul.” It was used to describe the way
the early Christian believers lived. The full text is as follows: “Now the
full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no
one said that any of the things that belongs to him was his own, but
they had everything in common.”
This is the spirit of unity we should develop and have in any
grouping we may belong to, be it a family, a class, an office, a
community, etc. Our sense of unity should not just be in the level of
the physical, professional, social, political, etc. It should involve our
heart and soul. In other words, it should involve our whole being.
Can this spirit of unity be doable, given the tremendous
amount of differences we have with each other, let alone, our
unavoidable conflicts? The quick answer may be No, or at least, that
it is doubtful. But if we go by our Christian faith and realize that our
spirit of unity has to be founded on God, then it is possible. Precisely
the early Christians managed to live it. They lived “cor unum et
anima una.”
We need to realize that the spirit of unity we are talking
about here is not uniformity which can only take place when things
are taken only in their physical aspects. It is a spirit of unity that
allows for plurality and variety, where differences are acknowledged
and even promoted but used for a common end.
It is a spirit of unity that is spiritual and moral in character. It
is a very dynamic spirit, ever active and reactive to any situation,
since it is animated by Christian love that can take on anything. It is
always in the process of composing and recomposing itself as it
responds to the changing demands of the times.
This spirit of unity can only be made possible when it is
rooted on the unity of God who are three persons in one God. Let’s
remember that we are God’s image and likeness, made children of
his through his grace. We are meant to reflect in our life that unity of
the Trinitarian God who is full of goodness, love, truth, justice, etc.
This spirit of unity which we should try to live in any grouping we may
belong to is never one that leads to elitism. This spirit, if truly inspired
by unity of the Trinitarian God, will always have a universal scope,
eager to understand and love everyone, including those who may
consider themselves as our enemies.
In fact, we don’t restrict ourselves in any grouping only. Our
spirit of unity should cover more and more areas and levels, until we
reach the universal family of God, the complete communion of saints.
We need to develop the appropriate attitudes and skills to develop
this kind of spirit of unity. We have to learn to listen to everyone,
including those whose views may different from ours. We have to
sharpen our social skills, always thoughtful of the others, knowing
how to empathize and sympathize, how to be understanding and
compassionate. From merely sharing things, let’s move toward giving
ourselves to others more and more. Let’s not be afraid of the
sacrifices involved. Let our differences and conflicts stir the dynamic
of complementation. Let’s trust more in Christ’s words that the more
we give, the more we will receive from him. It would be good if we
pause from time to time to consider our duties of building up and
strengthening this spirit of unity, giving more teeth to our desires for
it. We can always come up daily with one concrete detail, no matter
how small, to further this duty of ours.