M11 THE PROPHETS: Formation of God's People

Prophets
- from greek word pro-phates, means can "one who speaks on behalf of the other".
- In Hebrew culture, prophets were called Nabi. Means "one called" or "one who is
called".
Division
- In the Hebrew Canon, prophets are divided in to the Former and Latter prophets
Former Prophets, (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings)
Latter Prophets, (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve, or Minor, Prophets: Hosea,
Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah,
and Malachi).
AMOS
- The Prophet of Justice
- Spoke out strongly against the rich and against social oppression, injustices, and
exploitation.
- How God hated those who worshiped him one day a week and exploited their
fellow men every day of the week.
- Amos’ God was a God of concern for everyone, especially the weak and the poor.
God expected those who worshiped him to show equal concern for all.
HOSEA
- The Prophet of Unconditional Love
- Hosea too saw the evil in his land, and spoke against it.
- He had experienced a personal tragedy in his life. He had married a woman whom
he loved very much.
- But this woman was a prostitute and was unfaithful to him.
- He took his own endless love for his unfaithful wife to speak of God’s endless love for
his unfaithful people.
ISAIAH
- The Prophet of Hope
- Prophet with the Highest rank among Jews and Christians
- Isaiah’s experience of God (Read Is 6:1-9)
- Isaiah was born in Jerusalem and was well-educated. He is called the prophet of
God’s holiness. At the occasion of his call by God, Isaiah experienced the holiness of
God. This experience would affect his entire life. He told the people that God called them
to holiness, a life away from sin.
Isaiah’s Call to Conversion
- Wherever Isaiah met evil, he spoke out against it. He saw great evil in the religious
formalism of his time. Yet, he did not condemn his people: he wanted to bring them to
conversion.
Emmanuel Prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14)
- When Judah was threatened from outside, Isaiah prophesied the Lord himself will give
you a sign: the virgin shall be with a child and bear a son, and shall call him Emmanuel.
This Emmanuel will come to set his people free and save them from oppression.
JEREMIAH
- The Prophet of Courage and Hope
- Jeremiah was a very sensitive man. When the Lord called him, he answered, I know
not how to speak; I am too young. But the Lord replied, See, I place my words in
your mouth.
- Soon after he started to preach, Jeremiah had few friends left. He warned the people
that if they would not change and reform Jerusalem, the temple would be destroyed.
People were enraged by his words. They beat him, scourged him and threw him into
prison. To those who took his message at heart, Jeremiah had some words of hope,
“The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make new covenant with the
house of Israel and the house of Judah”.

M12 THE BOOK OF JOB ON HUMAN SUFFERING

On Human Suffering
How could a good God allow suffering?
- We have to admit that no ‘one answer’ can completely satisfy us when we face real
suffering- our own or that of others. The best answer may be, “We don’t know”.
- We may have to admit that we believe in a God whose ways remain mysterious.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said “to live with a God we cannot fully understand,
whose actions we explain at our own peril”. God’s action remains a mystery to all of
us. Our human comprehension always fails to fathom the mind of God. In the word of the
prophet Isaiah, God said “my ways are not your ways”.
LOOK BACK: On Human Suffering
- The meaning of suffering is truly supernatural and at the same time human. It
is supernatural because it is rooted in the divine mystery of the Redemption of the
world, and it is likewise deeply human, because in it the person discovers himself, his
own humanity, his own dignity, his own mission.
M13 ON HUMAN HAPPINESS
- The term happiness is used in the context of mental or emotional states, including
positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. It is also used in
the context of life satisfaction, subjective well-being, eudaimonia (good spirit of
engaging and overcoming struggles) and flourishing.
- To be happy - as contrasted with feeling happy - is always to be happy in virtue of
something or other, something done or suffered, something acquired or achieved.
- True happiness has three characteristics that are never absent, but always in greater
or lesser measure together. True happiness is spiritual. It is generous and it is always
seen as related to God.
- True happiness, being spiritual, is deeply interior. It abides in the inmost recesses of
one's soul. It may, therefore, coexist with struggle and suffering, with tribulation and
with the heaviest cross.
M14 (No module attached, Homeless to Harvard Activity)
M15 On Family and Relationship
COMMON FAMILY ISSUES

Divorce and Remarriage

- Divorce, while fairly common and accepted in modern U.S. society, was once a word
that would only be whispered and was accompanied by gestures of disapproval. In
1960, divorce was generally uncommon, affecting only 9.1 out of every 1,000 married
persons. That number more than doubled (to 20.3) by 1975 and peaked in 1980 at
22.6 (Popenoe 2007). Over the last quarter century, divorce rates have dropped steadily
and are now similar to those in 1970.
- Can be stressful for children and partners.
- Divorce is often justified by the notion that children are better off in a divorced family
than in a family with parents who do not get along. However, long-term studies
determine that to be generally untrue.
- Children are often confused and frightened by the threat to their family security.
Violence and Abuse
- are among the most disconcerting of the challenges that today’s families face. Abuse
can occur between spouses, between parent and child, as well as between other
family members. The frequency of violence among families is a difficult to determine
because many cases of spousal abuse and child abuse go unreported. In any case,
studies have shown that abuse (reported or not) has a major impact on families and
society as a whole.
What is family?
- What is family to each one of us and how important is it to belong to a family? We all
greatly desire and long for the secure “happy family” whose members love and trust
each other, share solidarity, give mutual help, care and are faithful to shared values
and goals. They live and work together to meet the basic human needs of all. This is the
ideal, and it is beautiful to behold but, sadly and tragically, the reality is frequently far
different. So what is the modern family?

- While there are millions of strong, caring, happy families in the world, there are as
many that are unhappy. It’s a kind of wonder that there are so many good parents
caring for their families, sacrificing, striving, working and loving each other. They
bring up their children endowed with spiritual values and provide for their needs and
wants. How did the parents become positive like that? The school that provides the
lower to the highest form of education does not normally provide a comprehensive
training course on “how to be a good loving parent.” Is it necessary, would it help
make better parents and happier families? For sure, it would be a big help since all
positive knowledge and learning helps us to be better, wiser persons. The extent of its
positive impact is still widely unknown except to those happy couples that had such
training in parenting.
 Summary, if masyado mahaba.
- There are millions of happy families, there are millions that are also unhappy. Many
parents are caring, and willing to make sacrifices for their family. They also bring up
their children endowed with spiritual values, and provide their wants and needs. Is it
necessary for school to provide a course on "how to be good parents" short answer
YES.
- Greatest threat to families nowadays, indifference by parents to their children.
- Moral education is what leads children to accept, cherish, and live out family values.
CHURCH’S TEACHINGS ON FAMILY
- The welfare of the family is decisive for the future of the world and that of the Church.
Countless studies have been made of marriage and the family, their current problems
and challenges. We do well to focus on concrete realities, since “the call and the
demands of the Spirit resound in the events of history”, and through these “the Church
can also be guided to a more profound understanding of the inexhaustible mystery of
marriage and the family”. We must be grateful that most people do value family
relationships that are permanent and marked by mutual respect. They appreciate the
Church’s efforts to offer guidance and counseling in areas related to growth in love,
overcoming conflict and raising children. Many are touched by the power of grace
experienced in sacramental Reconciliation and in the Eucharist, grace that helps them
face the challenges of marriage and the family.
RELATIONSHIP
- In the eyes of the Catholic Church, love is not an emotion or feeling. According to the
Bible, Jesus Christ loved all men although he had different feelings toward certain
people; Catholics believe that this aspect of Christ's life proves that feelings and love are
fundamentally different.
- Catholics view love as an act of will, devotion, unselfishness and sacrifice. True love
comes from God and is accepted by man. The Catholic theologian St. Thomas
Aquinas wrote that love is "willing the good of the other." This sort of unselfish good
will serves as the backbone toward understanding the Catholic Church's view of
relationships.
- In Catholicism, sex is the literal act of love or the giving of one's self. The idea of sex
as the giving of one's self influences many of the sexual ideologies of the Catholic
Church. Priests and nuns, for example, take the oath of chastity and a vow to remain
virgins to completely commit their lives to God. If they were to indulge in sexual
activity, they could not give themselves wholly to God because they would have
shared a part of themselves with another person. As a result, the act of chastity
enables nuns and priests to remain more unified in spirit.
Pope Francis’ Advice on Relationship

Make Time For One Another, Even If You're Busy

- "Love needs time and space; everything else is secondary. Time is needed to talk
things over, to embrace leisurely, to share plans, to listen to one other and gaze in
each other's eyes, to appreciate one another and to build a stronger relationship.
Sometimes the frenetic pace of our society and the pressures of the workplace create
problems. At other times, the problem is the lack of quality time together, sharing the
same room without one even noticing the other."
Sometimes, Just Listen
- "Instead of offering an opinion or advice, we need to be sure that we have heard
everything the other person has to say. Often the other spouse does not need a
solution to his or her problems, but simply to be heard, to feel that someone has
acknowledged their pain, their disappointment, their fear, their anger, their hopes
and their dreams."
Accept Your Partner's Shortcomings
- "It does not matter if they hold me back, if they unsettle my plans, or annoy me by the
way they act or think, or if they are not everything I want them to be. Love always has
an aspect of deep compassion that leads to accepting the other person as part of
this world, even when he or she acts differently than I would like."
Be Generous With Their Imperfections
- "We have to realize that all of us are a complex mixture of light and shadows. The other
person is much more than the sum of the little things that annoy me. Love does not
have to be perfect for us to value it. The other person loves me as best they can, with
all their limits, but the fact that love is imperfect does not mean that it is untrue or
unreal."
Don't Hold Grudges
- "[Irritableness or resentment is] a violent reaction within, a hidden irritation that sets
us on edge where others are concerned, as if they were troublesome or threatening
and thus to be avoided. To nurture such interior hostility helps no one. It only causes
hurt and alienation."
Trust Is Key
"This goes beyond simply presuming that the other is not lying or cheating. It means we do not
have to control the other person, to follow their every step lest they escape our grip. Love
trusts, it sets free, it does not try to control, possess and dominate everything. This
freedom, which fosters independence, an openness to the world around us and to new
experiences, can only enrich and expand relationships."
M16 THE FILIPINO YOUTH
Excerpts From the Open letter of Filipino Youth to the Catholic Church

Journey of Dialogue between the Filipino Youth and Jesus

- [Jesus] asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” [Lk 24:17a] We liken
ourselves to the two disciples of Emmaus and converse with Jesus about who we
are, where we are, and what our concerns and hopes are as we journey in life and walk
in faith.
Some of our Personal Traits
- Filipino youth of the 21st century are life-given and want to be life-giving. We are
dynamic individuals, overflowing with blessings, willing and open to learn and to grow
when provided with opportunities to do so.
- We are all searching for our identity—who we are. We search for our meaning and
ultimately our purpose in life. We know that we are called for something more than
ourselves.
- We are called to act, but we still need to be guided and formed. We lack critical
thinking and decision-making skills that usually make us hesitant to commit.
We do not see ourselves as “the future”, but as “the present” of the Church, the world,
and of society.
- Hence, we are gifts, life-given to the Church and to the Philippines, and we want to be
truly life-giving.
Our Spiritual Life
- Many of us, young people of today, regard ourselves as more spiritual than religious.
We acknowledge the presence of God; we believe in Him, and we yearn for Him. We
choose to express this longing for a deeper relationship with our Lord and heighten our
experience of faith through personal prayer and participation in various prayer
gatherings. Our apparent distrust and doubt on the credibility of the Church, on the
other hand, is but an expression of our burning desire to see her truly living the joy of the
Gospel.
We long for a Church that embodies Christ’s vision and dream for her - a Church that:
- has confidence in us, and ensures that we are “not marginalized but feel accepted”;
- declares and actualizes her preferential apostolate for us; and
- “draws the attention of young people by being rooted in Jesus Christ”.
Our Family
Our family is where we first experience love, care and belongingness. It is also where we have
our first role models who guide and shape us as we are prepared to be launched into the
bigger environment. Our Filipino culture that influences our family plays a major role in shaping
us as young people. Practices and cultural behaviors, such as “utang na loob” and
“pagmamano”, are still very much present in us, as well as the values of respect, obedience,
and being family-oriented. However, there are many different family situations present for each
of us. Nowadays, due to the need for financial stability, some parents have to leave their
children to seek greener pastures. Through these various situations, we still see the family as a
foundational aspect of our lives. In our dreams for a better life, our families will always be part of
our hopes and aspirations.
Our Social Relationships and Communities
- We value our relationships as much as our families—at times even more. We want to
belong, more than anything. Hence, we seek a community that empowers,
encourages, and challenges us. Friends and our social relationships are very
important as they are part of the environment that we live in. These people not only
journey with us and encourage us, but also form and influence us.
- Despite our being hyper connected with the world, we still feel left out. We still sense
that we do not belong. We also do not see enough opportunities to actively
participate. Now, more than ever, we are ready to be trusted as partners in shaping our
country and our Church.
Some Socio-cultural Concerns
Health
- We acknowledge the need to be healthy. However, in many places, young people do
not receive enough nutrition and the needed medical attention. Depression and suicide
are prevalent issues being discussed by the young and about the young. Substance
abuse, other forms of addiction, and HIV/AIDS also gravely affect our fellow youth.
We feel that there is an urgent need to address these concerns as these may involve us
and affect the people around us.

Education
- We value our education together with our teachers and formators, who teach us
majority of what we know, as we spend most of our time in school. Unfortunately, not all
Filipino youth are given the opportunity for formal education. Some even end up
on the streets or find themselves before high-risk situations such as child labor

Environment
- We dream of a safe and sustainable world to live in. We value Mother Earth and all
of God’s creation. We understand the importance of caring for our common home, but
still need to realize that our seemingly small actions can either have a greatly positive or
negative impact.

Economic Challenges
- Our national economy is said to be growing at its potential. However, majority of the
Filipino youth do not feel this growth nor understand what it means and yet are very
much affected by it. Many of us still experience difficulty in finding stable jobs to keep
our future secure; others even fall victim to human trafficking and other forms of
exploitation. Most want to make a living not just for ourselves, but more for our parents
who have given much for us. We dream of a more inclusive economy that provides equal
opportunities to people regardless of age and gender.

Politics
- Filipino youth comprise majority of the voters in the country. We seek honest and
authentic leaders who stand for truth, justice and integrity. We need credible
leaders we can count on and trust to lead and make moral decisions for the good of our
 country and its people. In the same way, we feel that we too can be leaders ourselves in
various ways. Although there are opportunities to be the leaders we seek, we feel that
these are limited, and at times even superficial.

Dialogue with Culture

- We are heavily exposed to many kinds of differences: in cultures (e.g. indigenous
peoples), faiths (e.g. other faith denominations), and ideologies (e.g. those rooted in
same sex attraction). In all these, we heed Pope Francis’ invitation to build a “culture of
encounter”. We seek to further understand them, and a concrete step is for us to
have opportunities for dialogue to face these differences and move towards a more
inclusive world.
Our Social Circles and the Digital Community
- Regular interaction with our friends is now more of a need than a mere pastime as our
elders presume. We value our peer group relationships or “barkada”. During this stage
of our lives, we seek to construct an identity of our own, one that may be independent
from our family, but defined by the peer group that we belong to. When we find a sense
of connection between our identity and the values that our peer group has, we feel a
greater sense of belongingness.
Youth Seeking Purpose/ Meaning in Life through Role Models
- Filipino youth will always find meaning in the reality of the family. Dreams of prosperity
emerge as we aspire to improve the plight of our families. However, aside from laboring
for our parents and families, we also acknowledge our need to be devoted in discerning
our vocation.
- We feel at times that our purpose and meaning are imposed on us by those in positions
of power and authority, whom we often sense as doubtful over the goals we set in life.
We yearn for people in authority whom we can look up to as regards integrity and
credibility, as well as look to for guidance and accompaniment