Theology 1 Lecture Notes: Christian Vision of the Human Person

1 THEOLOGY 1 (Lecture Notes) CHRISTIAN VISION OF THE HUMAN PERSON * What is THEOLOGY? The word comes from two Greek words theos > God logia > word or utterance , later on translated into “study” Etymologically, then, Theology is the study of God … and everythi...

1 THEOLOGY 1 (Lecture Notes) CHRISTIAN VISION OF THE HUMAN PERSON * What is THEOLOGY? The word comes from two Greek words theos > God logia > word or utterance , later on translated into “study” Etymologically, then, Theology is the study of God … and everything related to God, Theology is considered a science, since it is a body of organized and systematized dogma and doctrines, principles, truths, precepts and facts about God, based on divine revelation. As a science, man uses reason and his intelligence to understand the teachings and truths which God continuously reveals to man. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * dogma – truths of the Catholic faith, finding their ultimate source in God’s revelation. They are doctrines of the Catholic faith that the faithful are exhorted to believe and assent to, such as the dogma that Christ is the head of the Church or that God is a unity of three persons. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a book that contains all of the dogmas of the Catholic Church (Aleteia) - means a divinely revealed truth, proclaimed as such by the infallible teaching authority of the Church, and hence binding on all the faithful without exception, now and forever. There are two essential elements here: First, a dogma must be divinely revealed. That is to say, it must be found explicitly or implicitly in the deposit of faith that Christ gave the Church. This is found in sacred Scripture and sacred Tradition. If something is to be a dogma, it must be in one of those two places--or in both of them. Second, a dogma must be infallibly taught by the Magisterium as divinely revealed. This is an important qualifier, because the Magisterium is capable of infallibly defining certain things that aren't divinely revealed. According to Church teaching, the Magisterium is able to infallibly teach both things that have been divinely revealed and truths that have a certain kind of connection with them, so that they may be properly explained and defended. A Dogma is a truth revealed by God. Because they are revealed by God, Dogmas are essential elements of our faith and can not change. Dogmas are formally taught to us by the Church and as such are taught (infallibly) without error. These Dogmas require the fullest and complete assent of theological faith by all members of the Catholic Church. In other (SCT) words, to be considered Catholic we must hold these to be true “beyond all doubt.” The deliberate and obstinate denial of a Dogma of the faith is called heresy because this person rejects the revealed Word of God. * doctrine - is a proposition (or set of propositions) taught by the Magisterium of the Church. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  2 As a science, Theology may be better appreciated by looking/studying the REVEALED TRUTHS according to its content: DOGMATIC THEOLOGY: truths which man needs to know and believe in MORAL THEOLOGY: principles and precepts which man needs to know, believe in and apply in his life St. Anselm says: “Theology is faith seeking understanding.” THEOLOGY is the STUDY OF GOD based on DIVINE REVELATION. FROM WHOM DO WE GET AND LEARN ALL OF THE REVEALED TRUTH? > from GOD HIMSELF HOW? God’s act of REVELATION. God continuously reveals Himself through many ways and means: Through the CREATED WORLD (Nature) > HIS WORKS To Man, through JESUS, HIS SON > HIS WORD written > Scriptures Spoken > JESUS HOW DOES THE CREATED WORLD (nature, plants, animals) respond to and participate in the life of God? ⮚ By being faithful and true to its nature; that is, when each created being acts according to how it is created and according to its purpose, following the design and plan of God for it. ⮚ We are guided by the principle: “agere sequitur esse.” (action follows being) HOW DOES MAN, THE HUMAN PERSON, PARTICIPATE IN AND RESPOND TO GOD? In the case of the human person, God has endowed man with more gifts than He gave to the other created beings. Since Man, the human person, is very special in the eyes of God, God bestowed upon the human person the gifts of Intellect, will and the spiritual soul > gifts which have made man the Imago Dei (an image of God). By these gifts, Man, the human person, alone knows and understands Who God Is ; and how to respond, in love, as God loves. WHAT IS THE CORE MESSAGE OF REVELATION? GOD IS LOVE. Everything that God does is all out of Love. “ For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not John 3:16 Perish, but will have Everlasting L.” Because of the gift of the intellect and reason, man is able to understand and grasp the mysteries of God. However, there comes a point in time and in man’s life when his intelligence would not anymore be able to fathom what is being revealed to him. This is a natural phenomenon due to the limitation and finiteness of man’s intelligence. One cannot truly be able to fully grasp the INFINITY AND PERFECTION OF GOD. * FAITH WHAT ENABLES MAN, THEREFORE, TO RECOGNIZE, ACCEPT, BELIEVE and OWN what God is revealing to him? ⮚ In this case, man responds to God IN FAITH (Latin: fides, which etymologically means “to yield, to give way.”)  3 Faith is the assent of the mind to what is being revealed, even if what is revealed is most obscure. Faith likewise is the “YES” that man gives to the one who reveals. Two dimensions of Faith: a) ANTHROPOLOGICAL DIMENSION: the faith that man has in another man. b) THEOLOGICAL FAITH: the faith that man has in God Theological faith is one of the three Theological virtues, the two being Hope (Spes) and Charity/ Love (Caritas). These three are called theological virtues because they are the traits and qualities which particularly draw man closer to the love of God. Faith propels us to OBEY (the virtue of Obedience). (N.B.) There are four other virtues that help man in his relations with his fellowmen. These are the CARDINAL or MORAL VIRTUES namely: Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude and Justice. Both theological and cardinal virtues are vital in man’s life because they balance man’s relationships with God and others. The first model of faithful obedience to God’s will and revelation is the Blessed Virgin Mary. > In faith, Mary gave her “fiat” (YES) to God when God said that she was to become the mother of the Son of God, even if she did not fully understand how and why she of all women. > Mary’s reply: “Let it be done to me according to His word.” (Luke 1:38). WHAT ARE THE TRUTHS OF THE CHRISTIAN CATHOLIC FAITH THAT WE PROFESS TO BELIEVE? ⮚ The articles of our Christian Catholic faith are contained in the NICENE and the APOSTLES’ CREED. Creed > from the word “creer” (to believe). “Credo” > I BELIEVE. Faith is likewise the virtue that prompts everyone to action. It is not enough to say “I believe.” We need to express this belief in our acts of charity. From the Scripture (James 2:14-17), we are taught: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by good works, is dead.” CHRISTIAN VISION OF THE HUMAN PERSON is the full description of our course. It obviously and in general speaks of: the HUMAN PERSON and JESUS CHRIST > to WHOM the human person is configured So, then, we ask the questions: Who is JESUS CHRIST? Who is the Human Person?  4 * Who is JESUS? (Course Notes for Theology 1 with annotations) 1. Jesus Christ, the Ultimate Revelation of the Father The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines expresses the reason why we must put Christ at the center, front, and back of our lives, it is that: “no mission is activated and no identity is clarified apart from Christ.”1 Therefore, we look up to Christ as the ultimate revelation of the Father, who calls us to communion, and as the good teacher who leads us to the Father. a. God as Our Personal Absolute We know of many great personalities who have achieved unbelievable feats and whose works contributed immensely to the society and the world, which history will remember for thousands of years. Their legacies shall be the paragons for people to look up to in times of struggles, challenges and difficult undertakings. From Aristotle in ancient Greece to Justin Bieber in the contemporary times, we have, time and again, proven that human beings are capable of triumphs, successes and accomplishments far beyond our imaginings. But where lies our excellence as human beings? For some, fame and money have been their aim, but then, as proven by the rise and fall of many rich and famous people, it is not far-fetched to believe that fame and money only offer temporal and fleeting feeling of greatness, and that something more profound must be diligently pursued in order to find the fulfillment of one’s purpose and meaning in life. Just like Saint Augustine, we know in our hearts that, because God has made us for Himself, our hearts can never find rest until they rest in Him. For God, according to Edward Schillebeeckx, “is a personal absolute in whom is found the reason for our existence, and therefore, He is a being who gives absolute meaning to our lives.”2 The same notion is expressed in the Prologue of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, to wit: “God, infinitely perfect and blessed in Himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek Him, to know Him, to love Him with all his strength.”3 Thus, even if Forbes ranks us as the wealthiest person in the world, this is nothing compared to our supreme possibility, which is communion with God. As YOUCAT plainly puts it: “to be a human being means to come from God and to go to God.”4 Herein, we find the reason why we have a longing that no earthly value can satisfy. We are in a constant battle to mete out the things which give us uneasiness and fill in the vacuum that is continuously pushing us to find things and situations that will quench our deepest thirsts. And unfortunately, only few realize that this emptiness can only be filled by God. Out of God’s unselfish love for us, He makes us long for Him, for on our own, we can do nothing and whatever we have achieved amounts to nothing if it is not Him. It is only by responding to this longing that we can walk in the direction that will lead us to communion with God. And that is God being the absolute, the finality and the end/telos of everything created in the universe. God, as our personal absolute, gave Himself to us through the incarnation of Christ, His only Son our Lord. Annotation. God Who Is Love wants to share His life with the human person. He wants man to participate in His divine life, so that apart from God, the human person will never find absolute happiness and perfect satisfaction. No material thing like money, fame and power could give man what he truly longs for. Because man came from God, he also goes back and return to God. GOD IS MAN’S ALPHA (BEGINNING) AND MAN’S OMEGA (END). APOSTLES’ CREED: I believe in JESUS CHRIST, HIS only Son our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy 1 PCP II, LXXI. See Legaspi, “The Kairos of the PCP II,” 532. 2 Edward Schillebeeckx, Christ the Sacrament of the Encounter with God (London: Sheed and Ward, 1963), 4. 3 Catechism of the Catholic Church. AAS, 78 (1986), 13. 4 Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church (San Francisco, California, USA: Ignatius Press, 2011), no. 1.  5 Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was Buried. He descended into hell, and on the third day rose again from the dead. NICENE CREED: I believe in one Lord, JESUS CHRIST, The Only begotten Son of God, borne of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father. Through Him, all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, He came down from heaven, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, was incarnate of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake, He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, He suffered death and was buried. He rose again on the third day in accordance to the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, The Father Almighty. From there, He shall come again to judge the living and the dead; And His kingdom will have no end. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- b. Christ is God in a Human Way God is almighty and powerful, being the creator of all that there is and having power over all of creation. But because human beings are special to God, He did more for them than for any other creature that He has created: as mentioned above, He came down to meet man. He shared His life with them, which happened perfectly through the incarnation of Christ. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “In His Son and through Him, He invites men to become, in Holy Spirit, His adopted children and heirs of his blessed life.”5 Thus, it is through the mystery of Christ’s incarnation that God came down to meet man in grace. In other words, people actually live with God, have a special bond or relationship with Him, and most importantly they feel or experience His love everyday of their lives. Here are some examples: Saint Matthew tells the story of when Jesus Christ showed compassion to the poor, healed their sick, and multiplied loaves and fishes to feed the hungry crowd (Matthew 14: 13-21); Saint Matthew also remembers when Jesus personally taught the people how to be happy in their lives (Matthew 5: 3-12); Saint Luke recalls that time when Jesus taught his disciples how to pray (Luke 11: 1-13); how Jesus loves and blesses the children (Luke 18:15-17); and a very special sign that Jesus shared his life with His people is that He ate with everyone, saints and sinners alike (Mark 2:13-17). All in all, Christ spent His life making people feel that God the Father loves them, they are not alone in their sufferings, God’s love can overcome all their difficulties in life, and that true happiness can be found in God alone. Therefore, through the incarnation of His Son, God revealed His absolute plan to His people, that they are from Him, and only to Him they shall and must return. Annotation. Inspite of man’s unfaithfulness to God because of sin, God in All His Omnipotence (All-powerful) and Omniscience (All-knowing), and love for man, sent man His only begotten Son, Jesus, so that in Jesus man may come to know, love and serve God better. Jesus showed humanity Who the Father is – His goodness and His mercy and compassion. This is made possible when JESUS was born like any human person > the Mystery of His INCARNATION. 5 CCC, 13.  6 “For us men and for our salvation, He came down from heaven, by the power of the Holy Spirit, he was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” (Nicene Creed). Jesus took upon Himself to become man like us – born of a human mother. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ c. Christ is Human in a Divine Way When God came down to meet his people through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, He showed His people how He loves them. Other than this, God’s coming down to meet His people also means raising them up and liberating from their sinful condition. By becoming human, Christ became an example for all people to follow because He possesses those characteristics that make man perfect. In other words, Jesus Christ, through His life, words, and works, revealed how people should live their lives. During his encounter with the people, Jesus was able to correct the false belief that people are bad or helplessly sinful. Jesus revealed what is true and good about human beings: that they are all invited by God to be perfect like Him (Matthew 5: 48), which is why God loves them. The Gospel recalls many of these accounts, like: when the woman caught in the act of adultery was brought to Him (John 8:1-11), Jesus did not show condemnation but only mercy and compassion. When He lovingly told the woman to sin no more, Jesus showed that people, by the grace of God, can change for the better. In his encounter with Zacchaeus the tax collector (Luke 19:1-10), he exemplified before the crowd that an act of compassion can move even the most hardened sinner. Moreover, when He asked to eat dinner with the tax collector, He demonstrated that we are capable of seeing the good in others; and when asked how many times we should forgive, his response was: always! (Matthew 18:21). Christ demonstrated that goodness is not give and take. In other words, doing good does not expect something in return but is the constant response of someone who is created in the image and likeness of God. By becoming man, Christ showed the people that what the Psalmist exclaims is true: “God has made us little less than a god and have crowned us with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5). In the long and short of it, to be truly human is to be like God. The examples of Christ show that people can actually participate in the saving acts of God. That man can love, forgive, show compassion, and set aside prejudices toward others, shows that the divine is truly shared with the human. Annotation. Only God is perfect in His nature as God > divine. Jesus showed and taught man, through His words and His works, that it is possible for man – who is created basically good, to regain his basic goodness. Man is created perfect in his nature as a human person (we are good, because we come from ONE Who Is Good). However, because of sin, man’s basic goodness was tainted and blemished. Jesus taught us that we can regain who we were originally destined by God. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- d. Jesus as the Way, The Truth, The Life Nowadays, with all the changes and challenges that people experience, they ask so many questions, like: what is the meaning of life? Who am I? What must I do? According to John Paul II, it is only Christ who can give answer to every one of their questions. It is only in the mystery of the incarnation of Christ that people can understand who they are and what their purpose in this world is.6 Therefore, Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life because it is only Christ who fully reveals to the people the Father’s love. It is good to remember and reflect on the story of Christ’s temptation in the desert. Before performing his mission or public ministry, Jesus was led by the Spirit to the desert where he was tempted by the devil (Mark 1:12,13; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). In this moment, while Jesus was alone, the devil tempted Him and tested His capabilities as a human being. In short, the devil lured or tempted Him with everything that human beings are craving or longing for: food, power, 6 Ibid.  7 and wealth. The devil wanted Christ to follow or surrender to His selfish desires. In other words, the temptation was for Christ to use His powers for his personal benefit, and consequently, disobey or contradict the reason why the Father sent Him, which is total surrender to the Father’s will. The temptation of Christ can be compared to the experience of people who are forced to believe that it is alright to desire only those things that promote selfish gains and forget about Christ’s command to love God and one’s neighbor before oneself. This way of thinking makes people forget about their friendship with God who is their final goal in life and the more selfish that people become, the less they see or recognize the image and likeness of God in themselves and in others. The way that Jesus Christ said “no” to the temptations of the devil serves as an example for people to be strong against any forms of temptation. Christ shines as the Way, the Truth, and the Life who reminds people that they are showered by God with graces that enable them to choose good over evil. Christ’s example also reminds people that their goal in life is to be obedient to God because it is only in doing so that they can discover the true meaning of their lives. The very name of Jesus, which means “the one who is to save people from their sins” also means that Jesus is the greatest sign of God’s love for his people. Annotation. Jesus Who Is “truly God” is also “truly human.” Jesus was very much any man in everything, EXCEPT SIN. Just like any human person, Jesus experienced how it is to feel loved by friends; what pain is like, as for example, with the death of His dear friend, Lazarus; Jesus was angry when people desecrated the temple; Jesus felt every possible emotion; but because He is also God, Jesus was exempt from sin. He was tempted, but He overcame temptation. JESUS IS > THE WAY (Via) ; THE TRUTH (Veritas) ; THE LIFE (Vita). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- e. Sequela Christi (Latin: “walking in Christ’s footsteps) We rise from the temporary setbacks of our lives and we redirect ourselves back to Christ, “once we give up our own wealth and very self.”7 This is an experience that we find in the responses of the Disciples whom Jesus invited to follow Him as fishers of men (Matthew 4:19); in Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus cast out seven demons (Luke 8:2) and who later became the apostle to the apostles (John 20); and in Saint Paul who became the apostle to the Gentiles, to mention a few. We can see from the examples of these saints that those who opted to follow Christ must first undergo radical conversion: forgetting oneself and committing everything to Christ. This promise of perfection entails stripping the old self of that sinful life to take on the new white garment of Christ. It is also dying to oneself but rising again as a new person configured to Christ, no longer living one’s life for one’s own but for Christ. It is being immersed in the waters of baptism all over again and time and time again, so to say. What Jesus asks us to do is to follow Him and to imitate him along the path of love, a love which gives itself completely to the brethren out of love for God: This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you (John 15:12).8 The condition for the following of Christ is that first, there must be a calling. But Christ calls everyone and what is needed is the response of faith. Furthermore, the circumstances for the following of Christ are exemplified in the conversation between Jesus and the rich young man. Jesus Christ conveys the radical requirements which He laid down if one hopes to follow Him. This He already exemplified in his own life, ‘take up your cross and follow me.’ In the case of the young man, go, sell your possessions and come after me. To follow Christ and find our perfection, we must deny ourselves, forsake the world, and humbly follow after Christ. Annotation. Conversion comes from the Latin word “verto” which means “to turn.” Taking it from the root word, conversion is all about turning away from sin and turning oneself towards Jesus. It starts with oneself > the recognition that we have hurt God and others by our wrong deeds or actions and words ; and the humility to ask for forgiveness from God in the sacrament of Reconciliation ; and the courage to change and turn away from a life of sin and towards the moral life which Jesus is teaching us. 7 VS, 19. 8 VS, 20.  8 Following the way of Jesus is walking the path of LOVE. Conversion entails COMMITMENT. Jesus teaches us to “love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Our standard in these words of Jesus is the love we have for ourselves. It is the other way of saying: “Do unto others what you would want them to do unto you” (Luke 6:31). However, Jesus did not stop here. As we learn to love others with the measure of ourselves, Jesus then teaches us to step up and learn more about what love truly is. This time, He teaches us a new commandment: “Love one another, as I have loved you!” (John 13:34). The measure of love is the love that Jesus is giving us > unconditional, selfless, inclusive. Further to this, He said: “Greater love no one has than this, to lay down one’s life for a friend” (John 15:13) > love that is willing to sacrifice for the one that is loved. This is the love that Jesus exemplified, when He gave His own life so that humanity may live. ⮚ What sacrifices are you willing to make for the person/s you love? (CHALLENGE ; SHORT SEATWORK) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. B. JESUS CHRIST AS THE GOOD TEACHER / * JESUS IS THE TRUTH (Veritas) People today need to turn to Christ once again in order to receive from Him the answer to their questions about what is good and what is evil (VS, 8). In the account in the bible, which narrates Christ’s encounter with the rich young man. The rich young man asked what he should do in order to go to heaven…follow the commandments…go sell your possessions, come follow me. The little gate called the eye of the needle…a camel trying to enter the gate could not get in and was only able to do after it gave up its embellishments…when it was just an ordinary camel, when I knelt down…Jesus here, means it’s only by God’s grace and mercy…that we can reach heaven. Do we see ourselves in the rich young man? To answer our deepest questions in life, to whom do we turn to? When the answer that we get is not what we expected, do we also turn our backs on Christ? Why do we need to turn to Jesus? Annotation. During His earthly life, Jesus spoke about our Father, He taught us about God’s kingdom, He taught us about doing what is right and what is wrong through parables, stories, through the Beatitudes and the commandments of the Old testament. He was candid when He spoke the truth, He was fearless, He spoke with authority. He was not afraid to speak the truth, which is why people plotted to take His life. He was a radical, meaning He showed the example of courage and boldness to do what is right, when everyone wanted to do the opposite. Jesus was not afraid to be different! He was unconventional as a teacher! He did not break the rules, but He was not afraid to introduce new things to them: He ate with tax collectors and sinners, He spoke with adulterous women, He let the children come to Him and many others. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Jesus Opens up the faithful to the book of the Scriptures / The return to our moral foundations in Scripture is the first step toward a more balanced, Christian moral life. The very name of Jesus means “the one who is to save people from their sins.” The Christian moral vocation is precisely to commit ourselves through the power of Christ’s redeeming grace to the progressive overcoming of the evil of sin in and around us – a personal human reaching out in loving service to others – rather than simply avoiding sin or shrinking from evil. 9 It is a question of conversion, a radical change of heart that, once begun in baptism, must develop into an ever more profound personal renewal and holiness.10 Annotation. Jesus taught the people of His time from the Scriptures. He read from the Scriptures. He studied the Scriptures. Jesus, HOWEVER, gave the Old Testament teachings a new twist when He said: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law, or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). 9 Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, New National Catechetical Directory for the Philippines 2007 (Manila: Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, 2007), 272. 10 VS, 2. GS, 4.  9 Jesus taught the people: “You have heard that it was said ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth … “ (Matthew 5:38), which spoke about retaliation or getting even with another. The people of Jesus’ time followed this law and many other laws. For them the strict observance of the law meant obedience to God; and this is why the people of Jesus’ time were so conscious of every little thing. They asked Jesus: “why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands when they eat.” (Matthew 5:12). They have become so legalistic > meaning that if they break the law, they were disobedient to God. And to these attitudes and dispositions, Jesus replied: “This people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me” (Matthew 15:8). Jesus taught the people the spirit of the law of love: “But I say to you … if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek also… if anyone asks you to go with him for one mile, go with him two miles” (Matthew 5:39-41). JESUS’ love is “RADICAL.” It was UNCONVENTIONAL. He loves like no one else does. Jesus went beyond the letters of the law. He taught the people the spirit of the law: EPIKEIA. He taught the people the real meaning of LOVE or CHARITY. And this was also the reason why Jesus was questioned and abhorred by the scribes and pharisees of His time. For us today, to love as Jesus loves entails COURAGE > the boldness to be different from the rest. It means that we are willing to stand up for the TRUTH that Jesus speaks about, to FOLLOW THE FOOTSTEPS of Jesus in His ACTS OF LOVE AND KINDNESS ESPECIALLY TO THE LEAST, THE LAST, AND THE LOST > the poor and the marginalized in society. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Reveals the Father’s Will The three-fold yeses covering the three dimensions of human life – the intra-personal, the inter-personal, and the societal – must be grounded on the fourth foundational, integrating yes to God. The only way we could possibly develop an integral saying “yes” to the fullness of human life by our total committed “yes” to God, as disciples of Jesus Christ. “The Son of God, the Christ Jesus that we proclaimed among you…was never Yes and No: with him it was always yes, and however many the promises God made, the yes to them all is in Him. That is why it is through Him that we answer Amen to the praise of God.11 Nothing less than the love of the Blessed Trinity – the love of Father, Incarnate Son, and the Holy Spirit – is the ground for Catholic Morality. Thus, catechesis must stress that Christian life means bearing witness to God revealed by Jesus Christ. This demands a radical change of heart, a real conversion, manifested in a triple yes to self, others, and society, and grounded in the ultimate yes to God, overcoming the “No” of sin.12 4. Teaches truth about moral action. * JESUS IS THE WAY (Via) People today need to turn to Christ once again in order to receive from Him the answer to their questions about what is good and what is evil. Christ is the teacher, the Risen One who has life in Himself and who is always present in His Church and in the World. It is He who opens up to the faithful the book of the Scriptures and, by fully revealing the Father’s will, teaches the truth about moral action. At the source and summit of the economy of salvation, as the alpha and the omega of human history, Christ sheds light on man’s condition and his integral vocation.13 If we, therefore, wish to go to the heart of the Gospel’s moral teaching and grasp its profound and unchanging content, we must carefully inquire into the meaning of the question asked by the rich young man in the Gospel and, even more, the meaning of Jesus’ reply, allowing ourselves to be guided by Him. Jesus as the patient 11 Ibid., 285. 12 NCDP, 290. 13 VS, 8.  10 and sensitive teacher, answers the young man by taking him, as it were by the hand, and leading him step by step to the full truth.14 5. Sheds light on man’s condition and lofty vocation The first and ultimate vocation of man is communion with God and there is only one way to respond to this calling: Jesus Christ. The basic motivation for following Christ in moral action is, of course the Blessed Trinity, the eternal Father’s love for us. The Father’s love is manifested pre-eminently in Jesus’ Paschal Mystery, and the Holy Spirit sent into our hearts who enables us to fulfill Christ’s own command: Love one another as I have loved you. The meaning of love for Saint John is: “not our love for God, but God’s love for us when He sent His Son to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away. My dear people, since God has loved us so much, we too should love one another.”15 ANNOTATION. VOCATION > vocare > calling What is man called to be? What is man called to do? We emphasize the predominance of BEING over DOING. Man is called to be HOLY. “You must be perfect as your heavenly Father Is perfect.” (Mt. 5:48, ESV) Holiness 6. Is Always Present in this Church and in the World It is to the Church that Christ entrusted the task of proclaiming the message of salvation to all peoples. To fulfill this task, Christ empowered the Church to proclaim, without fear of error, faith and morals, in the hope of leading people to the realization or actualization of the kingdom of God here on earth. In embracing this divine mandate, the Church confronted bravely the changes as well as the challenges that each generation brings, holding on to the promise that Christ will be with his people until the end of time (Matthew 28: 16-20). In this regard, it behooves the Church to uphold the twin task of preserving the integrity of the teachings of Christ and at the same time, the equally difficult responsibility of proclaiming it in such a way that it remains relevant regardless of who is on the receiving end. In other words, the Church must always be deeply conscious of her duty in every age to examine the signs of the times and interpret them in the light of the Gospel so that she can offer in a manner appropriate to each generation replies to the continual human questionings on the meaning of this life and the life to come and on how they are related.16 The Church has taken in stride with Christ, the “Light of the nations”, who shines upon the face of His Church, which sends forth to the whole world to proclaim the Gospel to every creature (cf. Mk. 16:15). Hence the Church as the People of God among the nations, while attentive to the new challenges of history and to mankind’s efforts to discover the meaning of life, offers to everyone the answer which comes from the truth about Jesus and his Gospel. Annotation. * JESUS IS THE LIFE (Vita). Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised His apostles and disciples that He shall always be with them until the end of time. He promised to send the Holy Spirit. 14 VS, 8. 15 Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, New National Catechetical Directory for the Philippines 2007 (Manila: Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, 2007), 282. 16 VS, 2.  11 Nicene Creed: I believe in the Holy Spirit, The Lord, The Giver of Life; Who proceeds from The Father and The Son; Who with The Father and The Son Is adored and glorified; Who has spoken through the prophets. Pentecost: is the occasion that marks the “birthday” of the Church. Evangelization is the primary task and mission of the Church which She received from Jesus. It is Her right and duty to proclaim Jesus and His teachings to the world. From this primary mission is derived Her social mission which speaks of the Church’s obligation to see to it that the human person’s dignity and temporal welfare is likewise taken care of. In view of this right and duty, the Church was given the proper authority to do so. This is called the Magisterium. She takes Her teachings from the Scriptures where: in the Old Testament the prophets spoke about obedience to God, spoke against injustice, idolatry, adultery and the like. From the New Testament, the Church learned about the love that Jesus taught: unconditional, selfless, inclusive. The Church is mandated to read the signs of the times vis-à-vis the teachings of Christ. As evangelizer, the Church Herself needs to be evangelized, which is why the Church is constantly called to reflect and introspect. The Church, as People of God, benefits much from the sacraments to nourish Herself as She walks the path of Jesus in conversion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C. JESUS SHEDS LIGHT ON THE MYSTERY AND DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON It is only in knowing Christ that the human person can arrive at a full understanding of who He really is. “In fact, it is only in the mystery of the Word incarnate that light is shed on the mystery of man. For by his incarnation, the Son of God has united himself in some fashion with every person.” 17 Being in full solidarity with humankind, our Lord showed us how to be fully human and fully alive. Christ primarily revealed how the essential dignity of all persons is grounded directly on their origin, meaning and destiny. From a renowned principle, it was believed that we could only come to know the meaning of something once we get to know its origin and destiny, beginning and purpose. In the light of Christian revelation, it was understood that all persons are created by God in His image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26) through our Lord Jesus Christ, “through whom everything was made and through whom we live” (1 Cor 8:6). We believe all are redeemed by the blood of Christ (cf. Eph 1:7; Col 1:14), and are sanctified by the indwelling Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 8:14-16; 1 Cor 6:19). We believe all persons are called to be children of God (cf. 1 Jn 3:1), destined for eternal life of blessed communion with the Father, His Risen-Incarnate Son, and their Holy Spirit.18 1. Created in the Image and Likeness of God The dignity of man is based on being made/created in the Image and Likeness of God, because of all visible creatures, only man is capable of knowing and loving his creator. He is "the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake", and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God's own life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the fundamental reason for his dignity:” 19 He is not just a being one among the many creatures created by God, but a “Person.” Extensively understanding the human person will not be possible without considering the doctrine of man being created in the image and likeness of God. This fundamental notion provides the theological grounding that upholds the sacredness of the human person and guarantees the respect to be given him. “He is an image of God by virtue of his/her possession of the distinctive faculties of intellect and freewill, that on account of which, he/she is capable of self-determination. Because of the spiritual character of his/her soul, man possesses freedom, an eminent sign of divine image. Man’s reason enables him/her to know the voice of God compelling him/her to do good and avoid evil.”20 By virtue of this, man is therefore considered to be a moral being. 17 GS, 22. 18 CFC, 685. 19 CCC, 356. 20 Charles Belmonte, Faith Seeking Understanding, Vol 2, (Manila: Studium Theological Foundation, Inc. 1997), p. 13.  12 For by man’s freedom, one is capable of deciding whether to act or not to act and therefore held responsible for whatever choices he/she would make, and by his reason he/she becomes conscious of the decree of God inscribed in one’s heart, urging him/her to always do what is good and avoid what is evil. Another essential consequence of this noble dignity is the uniqueness of every individual that on account of which, “Every human being is an irreplaceable and non-substitutable person, a kind of good that cannot be treated as an object of use or as a means to an end.”21 As a subject, he/she is the one in charge of his/her life as they act according to their conscience, in freedom and with sufficient knowledge. Being mindful of our dignity as the image and likeness of God, we are impelled to treat our fellow human being as equals in as much as our dignity as the image and likeness of God is concerned. This is obviously implied in the golden rule: “Do not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you,” or in a more affirmative phrase, “Do to others what you want others do unto you.” This is specifically true especially in workplaces where the distinction between employer and employee, master and slave, leader and subject relationships are duly understood. Due to excessive assertion of the individual’s apparent higher status, fundamental equality is accordingly compromised. In relationships where the spirit of hedonism brings about a utilitarian disposition, the tendency of accommodating a person into your circle on the condition of reaping benefits from him/her in one way or another is always a probable. We usually call these people “users” or “user friendly” since they only befriend you in as much as they perceive prospects of profit from you. Yet, we must remember that human dignity is worthy of respect and value precedes any human accomplishments. Likewise, we can also raise here the issue of equality between man and woman in as much as they are equally created in the image and likeness of God, and so deserve to be treated as such. It is well understood that companionship between man and woman is not of dominance but solidarity, not inferiority but complementarity, equity and not equality. Even when they were commissioned to share in the creative work of God and to be stewards of creation, no distinction of tasks and responsibility was implied for in God's plan, both man and woman were equally ordered to "subdue" the earth as His stewards. Acknowledging both man and woman as the apex of everything, and possessing a dignity which surpasses all other things and animals, is definitely articulated in the expression “created in the image and likeness of God.” This sovereignty is not designed to be an arbitrary and destructive domination. God calls man and woman, made in the image of the Creator "who loves everything that exists,’ to share in his providence toward other creatures; hence their responsibility for the world God has entrusted to them.” 22 Though full dominion was given by God to both man and woman over creation which was evidently signified by their power to give names and label to everything in creation, it should not be taken as a license to irrationally exploit everything in creation and consume according to their whims. Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si” imparts the rational way of treating creation which turns into a kind of spirituality. A spirituality that is imperative for us to imbibe in order to be able to treat creation the way it is supposed to be treated and see our real place in it. Learning from the said encyclical, it challenges us to always approach everything in creation with awe and wonder, reuse and not succumb to throwaway culture, help preserve nature’s diversity and render frequent corporal contact with nature. The human person as an image of God says something about the relationship between God and man, implying that the human person cannot be understood apart from God. God is the image of perfect self-giving love, and being the image of God implies that he is capable of self-giving love as well. Since the human person is a product of a divine self-gift, he therefore should respond to God by giving himself to the other. To give oneself to others as much as possible in imitation of the self-giving of God in the Trinity is the concrete living out of our being an image of God. Thus, this is how the communitarian nature of the human person is understood. From this perspective, we realize man’s relationship with God can be best achieved through the maximum use of our gifts that would enhance acknowledging the giftedness of others. Therefore, being created in the image and likeness of God is both a gift and a task. The challenge to be true to who and what we are is an endless task – it never expires. For this reason, we always look at Jesus Christ and strive to always model our lives to his, for we are not just any slave or servant who follows the will of his/her master but we are raised to the status of being adopted sons and daughters of God. Therefore, “Following Christ and united with him, Christians can strive to be "imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love" by conforming their thoughts, words and actions to the "mind...which is yours in Christ Jesus," and by following His example.”23 We should never forget that we are constantly called by God to be His 21 Karol Wojtyla, Love and Responsibility (New York: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 1981), 41. 22 CCC, 373. 23 CCC, 1694.  13 adopted sons and daughters. We are all called by our names, meaning, we are urged to be the best of ourselves. We are not expected to be somebody else but to just be ourselves. Perhaps only in and with God can we utterly be who we really are without pretensions and inhibitions, for we are certain that He will never reject or forsake us because it was He who calls us by name. As the only creature on earth God has willed for His own sake and is called to share in His own life, God placed us in this world to know, love and serve Him, and so come to paradise; thus, the human person is destined since his conception to the eternal happiness or beatitude.24 God is the origin, as well as man’s destiny. As creatures on their way toward their destiny, we are highly encouraged to throw more concern with things of higher value; things that really matter more than the things this world offer. We are all pilgrims on the way and must not settle for the things of this world for they are temporary, unreliable and misleading. Being aware of our destiny, we know well what we are heading for, to be in communion with our Creator, which render all other things worthless. Another reading of man’s image and likeness will be revisited in Unit III. 2. Redeemed by the Blood of Christ In His wisdom and goodness, God created man, elevated him/her to participation in the divine life and lived in communion and belongingness with the Trinity. But with the entry of sin, this communion and belongingness was shattered, as well as their communion among themselves. Yet God did not abandon man altogether; instead, He held out the means of saving them by gathering men together to counter the chaos which was the consequence of sin. This subsequent gathering of men together was fulfilled in Jesus Christ who always desired that all maybe one. Our Lord have always desired “that all of them maybe one, as You, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as we are one.”25 By saving us from our slavery to sin, we were brought back to our own character and nature. “Man's sins, following on original sin, are punishable by death. By sending his own Son in the form of a slave, in the form of a fallen humanity, on account of sin, God "made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”26 “For in Christ and through Christ, we have acquired full awareness of our dignity, of the heights to which we are raised, of the surpassing worth of our humanity and of the meaning of our existence.”27 Mindful of this truth about ourselves, it would mean that our usual justification whenever we commit something wrong, that is to invoke our weak and fragile nature is lame and pathetic. We cannot simply turn the blame on our weak nature because after all, we are not powerless but are empowered and so are capable of going beyond the call of our instincts. We can overcome the inducement of our instincts in as much as we have been redeemed by our Lord from our slavery to our weakness and vulnerability. If we have committed something evil or something wrong, do not turn the blame on our fragile nature, for it is not simply an implication of nature but is the result of our choice. It was our decision. Saint Paul exclaimed his gratitude to the Lord for this splendid grace saying, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us for adoption to Sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”28 We are then indebted to always be mindful of this privilege and grace of having been rescued from the power of darkness and being brought in turn to the light of the Kingdom of God. Christians should constantly recognize their dignity for now that they share in God's own nature, they should not return to their former base condition by sinning and remember their head of whose body we are a member.29 Having been redeemed by Christ imbues us with the consequent task of living a new life in Him, the responsibility to preserve and keep this lofty dignity we are graced with. Being justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God," "sanctified…(and) called to be saints, Christians have become the temple of the Holy Spirit. This "Spirit of the Son" 24 Belmonte, Faith Seeking Understanding, 1. 25 John 17: 21-22. 26 CCC, 602. 27 RH, 11. 28 Ephesians 1:3-7. 29 CCC, 1691.  14 teaches them to pray to the Father and, having become their life, prompts them to act so as to bear "the fruit of the Spirit" by charity in action. Healing the wounds of sin, the Holy Spirit renews us interiorly through a spiritual transformation. He enlightens and strengthens us to live as "children of light" through "all that is good and right and true." 30 3. Made Holy by the Presence of the Spirit Initially, the grace of the Holy Spirit which effects justification through adherence to our Lord’s admonition to repent is the gift of conversion. It moves man to turn away from sin and thus, accept forgiveness and righteousness from on high. Justification therefore does not only consist in the remission of sins but likewise brings about sanctification and renewal from within.31 It was altogether clear that it was the grace of the Holy Spirit that stirred man’s path to conversion and turned him away from sinfulness. Man’s decision then to pursue this track should not be mistakenly perceived as an impulse independent of any assistance from the Holy Spirit. For when God touches man's heart through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, man himself is not inactive while receiving that inspiration, since he could reject it; and yet, without God's grace, he cannot by his own free will move himself toward justice in God's sight.32 The merit of man before God in the Christian life arises from the fact that God has freely chosen to associate man with the work of His grace. The fatherly action of God is first on His own initiative, and then follows man's free acting through his/her collaboration. Thus, the merit of good works is to be attributed in the first place to the grace of God, then to the faithful. Man's merit itself, moreover, is due to God, for his/her good actions proceed in Christ, from the predispositions and assistance given by the Holy Spirit. 33 Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life. Even temporal goods like health and friendship can be merited in accordance with God's wisdom. These graces and goods are the object of Christian prayer. Prayer attends to the grace we need for meritorious actions.34 Doing things of a higher value is made achievable in as much as we are empowered by the Spirit of the Lord. Being a witness of Christ, as in leading a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ is made capable of doing so by the gift of his Spirit which we can obtain through prayer, though the impulse to pray is still permeated with the promptings of the Holy Spirit. The "Spirit of the Son" teaches them to pray to the Father and, having become their life, prompts them to act so as to bear "the fruit of the Spirit" by charity in action. Healing the wounds of sin, the Holy Spirit renews us interiorly through a spiritual transformation. He enlightens and strengthens us to live as "children of light" through "all that is good and right and true.35 PERSONS IN EXPERIENCE (CFC 687-692) 1) Open and relational by nature 2) Conscious Beings 3) Embodied Spirits 4) Historical Realities 5) Unique yet fundamentally equal In Moral Theology, the human person is the most appropriate point of departure to competently explain the meaning of morality and provide the fundamental principles in treating complex and actual moral queries. This has been the renewal in Moral Theology ushered in by the Second Vatican Council, i.e. the shift from the perspective and language of the human nature to that of the human person. The former stressed the finality of common bodily structures and functions from which moral norms or criteria were derived. Thus, actions are judged as right or wrong 30 CCC, 1695. 31 CCC, 1989. 32 CCC, 1993. 33 CCC, 2008. 34 CCC, 2010. 35 CCC, 1695.  15 depending on whether they are congruent or incongruent with the natural end of each faculty. The latter, on the other hand, contends that human activity cannot be judged if it does not refer to the person in his/her entirety. Accordingly, moral conclusions should be based on the totality of the human person. Human nature emphasizes what is common to all while human person captures the uniqueness of the person yet without abandoning their commonalities. The personalistic perspective (human person), given its grounded perception of man and morality, should then take into account the experiences of people over time so as to determine what sorts of activities best serve the person adequately considered. 36 Man does not act in a vacuum – he is an organism, which means that his movement is qualified as a response to certain stimuli. His total make-up is the sum of all his experiences. There are lots of factors around him that we should always take into account. a. Open and Relational Persons are open and relational by nature. No one exists by oneself, but only in relationship with others. Human existence does not precede relationship, but born of relationship and is nurtured by it. We grow into our full selves as persons only in relating with others. My personal existence consists of me and the others in relationship. Isolation is never in God’s intention in his creation of man. Being a person means being by others (our conception, birth, upbringing), being with others (our family, friends, neighbors, business associates), and being for others (love, service). Our Trinitarian origin infers that this is how we have been created by God — as social beings. This is how we have been redeemed by Christ — as a people. This is how the Holy Spirit works not only within but among us as the people of God, journeying towards our common destiny in God.37 As social beings, human persons must live in social groups with appropriate effective edifices that must sustain their dignity and their common good. It is imperative then to esteem those laws and institutions that aim to sustain our social well-being and the common good. The otherness or relational dimension of being human finds its apex in one’s relationship with God. Morally, this means that God becomes the source and fulfillment of all the human persons’ relationships. Our faith teaches us that the fulfillment of our lives is achieved in knowing, loving and serving God via our relationship with others.38 b. Conscious Beings Persons are conscious beings, aware of themselves in their outgoing acts. We possess this self-awareness through our knowing and free willing (cf. CCC 1704-7; GS 14-17). Thus, we “image” in our small way from the Creator’s infinite knowing and loving. This is the basis for our moral life.39 By his reason, he knows the order of things established by God; he then understands how and what things should be. He is imbued with the instinctive awareness of the unwritten decree inscribed in his heart. He then recognizes this as the voice of God constantly urging him to do the good and avoid evil. No wonder the golden rule is diversely articulated in every culture, religion and race. c. Embodied Spirits Persons are embodied spirits. This stresses the unity between our “body and soul.” This substantial unity of our body and soul is technically labeled as “hylemorphism.” Our body is an essential part of our being human and not merely an “instrument” we “use” as we please. Contrary to those who look down on the body, and make it the source of all evil, Christian Faith regards the body as “good and honorable since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day” (GS 14). Moreover, God the Son further dignified the body through his Incarnation — “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). And St. Paul admonishes us: “You must know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is within — the Spirit you have received from God.... So, glorify God in your body” (1 Cor 6:19-20). All our relationships with others and with God are expressed through our bodies, which are 36 https://www.scribd.com/document/111340268/Human-Person-Gula. 37 CFC 687. 38 R. M. Gula, S.S. Reason Informed by Faith: Foundations of Catholic Morality (New York: Paulist Press,1989), 66-72. 39 CFC, 688.  16 the “natural sacrament” of our spiritual depth.40 This strongly implies that the human body is something integral in our becoming a person. What concerns the body has implications on the human person for basically, it affects our expression of ourselves. Remember that God made known His love for us through bodily form. Consequently, appreciation of our body entails acknowledgement of its limits and potentials. Whimsical intrusion to the body and compromising our bodily health should be prevented. Besides, as bodily beings, we are part of the world. We can act as God’s co-agents in making this world a better place to live in. This admonishes us to make sure that our utilization of science and technology will not cause damage to corporeality and communality, but rather bring about the contrary. 41 The soul, on the other hand, serves as the form (the nature or essence of a thing that makes it what it is) of the body. It functions as the unifying principle that forms the one unique human being. It provides oneness for the body. However, as the soul emerges as a spiritual substance endowed with a body, it definitely needs embodiment. The assistance of the senses is needed for the fulfillment of the soul’s vital task. Thus, the soul is not a man, neither is the body, man. Emphasizing the substantial unity of the body and the soul, man is categorically the union of soul and body. d. Historical Realities Persons are historical realities. We are pilgrims on-the-way, who gradually, through time, become our full selves. In exercising freedom, we decide for ourselves and form ourselves; in this sense we are our own cause. We develop as persons in discernible stages, described in great detail by modern psychology.42 Nobody is predestined for something or to be someone. We shape our own destiny. Our fate lies in our hands. What we become is the result of our choices and decisions. Being historical challenges us to take advantage of each opportunity of the present in the overall journey to full human development. Integrating our past to our present existence makes us move into our future not only with a sense of integrity but also with a coherent sense of direction. 43 It is in this perspective that the popular Filipino saying, “ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan,” makes a lot of sense. In the same way, looking ahead into the future keeps us on the right track as well. We carefully make our choices and decisions and make certain they were products of prudent discernment. However, excessive concentration on either the past or the future can be disadvantageous too. We might be so wedged in our past that we are paralyzed to move on or move forward, or we might be overly absorbed by our preparations for the future, trying to be certain and secured about our destiny. Either way, we will become unaware on how special the events and people around us are, and how blessed we truly are. That’s why the challenge for us is to always live in the middle of “now and here;” without prejudice to either the past or the future. Being historical also implies that our moral responsibility is proportionate to our capacity according to our current stage of development. Moral acts become more meaningful if they are related to their effects and consequences.44 Hence, dynamism in our moral reflections is highly encouraged. There are diverse ways by which this dynamism is conveyed. Let’s take for example, “ the four way test,” or Socrates’ “test of three,” and many other similar schemes. e. Unique yet Fundamentally Equal Persons are unique, yet fundamentally equal. Regardless of differences in physical, intellectual and moral features and abilities, we spontaneously apprehend our basic equality as persons. As Gaudium et Spes 29 holds: “All men are endowed with a rational soul and are created in God’s image; they have the same nature and origin and, being redeemed by Christ, they enjoy the same divine calling and destiny; there is here a basic equality between all men.” But despite sharing common features of humanity, we do things differently. This implies therefore that we 40 Ibid., 689. 41 R. M. Gula, S.S. Reason Informed by Faith: Foundations of Catholic Morality (New York: Paulist Press,1989), 66-72. 42 CFC, 690. 43 R. M. Gula, S.S. Reason Informed by Faith: Foundations of Catholic Morality (New York: Paulist Press,1989), 66-72. 44 Ibid.  17 seriously consider each person’s uniqueness and originality. Each of us is called to “image” God in a unique way — no one can “take our place,” as it were. To each of us Christ says: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine” (Is 43:1). The fundamental equality of all individual persons grounds the participation and solidarity of all peoples. “Since God the Father is the origin and purpose of all people, we are all called to be brothers and sisters. Therefore, if we have been summoned by the same destiny, which is both human and divine, we can and should work together to build up the world in genuine peace” (GS 92).45 This was the core of the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ our Lord. Our Lord made it clear that “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10). This fullness of life points to our ultimate communion with the Father to which every person is freely called. Man is fundamentally good and is capable of goodness. He has the capacity to respond freely to the call of God. In a nutshell, our equality implies understanding that our moral obligations must be always considerate of our common humanity while our uniqueness implies that we cannot expect the same way of responding to the same situation since each of us will live out the norm and respond to issues according to our capacity and subjective conditioning. Conversely, our culpability lies on failing to do what we are capable of doing. 46 D. THE ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS CHRIST IS A CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP Following Christ is the essential and primordial foundation of Christian morality. Jesus’ ways and words, his deeds and his precepts constitute the moral rule of Christian life. Indeed, His actions, and in particular His passion and death on the cross, are the living revelation of His love for the Father and for others. This is exactly the love that Jesus wishes to be imitated by all who follow Him.47 If we are to look for a set of precepts that utterly demonstrate the moral standards of our Lord and at the same time resonate His call to follow Him as His disciples, we can perhaps direct our focus on the Beatitudes. They depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and portray His charity. They express the vocation of the faithful associated with the glory of His Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the actions, attitudes and characteristics of the Christian life; they are the paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of tribulations; they proclaim the blessings and rewards already secured, however dimly, for Christ's disciples; they have begun in the lives of the Virgin Mary and all the saints.48 1. The Church: Willed by God to Make Possible the Encounter with Christ The Church was instituted by Christ to perpetuate His presence on earth. She signifies in a visible, historical and tangible form the presence and redeeming activity of Christ offered to all persons of every age, race and condition. The Church have always wished to serve this single end: that each person may be able to find Christ, in order that Christ may walk with each person the path of life.49 That is why She has to remain deeply conscious of her "duty in every age of examining the signs of the times and interpreting them in the light of the Gospel, so that She can offer in a manner appropriate to each generation replies to the continual human questionings on the meaning of this life and the life to come and on how they are related."50 As the sacrament of salvation of all, not only of the explicit members but also those who share in the “theandric communion without explicit awareness of Christic foundation,” She is mindful of her task to make present everytime, in every situation the encounter between the spirit and the flesh, God and mankind. Within the unity of the Church, promoting and preserving the faith and the moral life is the task entrusted by Jesus to the Apostles, a task which continues in the ministry of their successors. This is apparent from the living Tradition, whereby — as the Second Vatican Council teaches — "the Church, in her teaching, life and worship, perpetuates and hands on to every generation all that she is and all that she believes.”51 Moreover, the Church has faithfully 45 CFC 691-692. 46 R. M. Gula, S.S. Reason Informed by Faith: Foundations of Catholic Morality (New York: Paulist Press,1989), 66-72. 47 VS, 20. 48 CCC, 1717. 49 RH, 13. 50 GS, 4. 51 VS, 27.  18 preserved what the word of God teaches, not only about truths which must be believed but also about moral action, an action pleasing to God.52 She has achieved a doctrinal development analogous to that which has taken place in the realm of the truths of faith. Assisted by the Holy Spirit who leads her into all the truth, the Church has not ceased, nor can she ever cease, to contemplate the "mystery of the Word Incarnate", in whom "light is shed on the mystery of man.”53 BIBLIOGRAPHY ECCCE. Catechism of the Catholic Church. Ligouri, Missouri: Ligouri Publications. 1994. ECCCE. Catechism for Filipino Catholics. Word and Life Publications: Manila.1997. Belmonte, Charles. Faith Seeking Understanding Volume 2. Studium Theologiae Foundation, Inc., 1997. Wojtyla, Karol (St. John Paul II). Love and Responsibility, Translated by: H. Willetts. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux. 1981. St. John Paul II. Veritatis Splendor. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 1993. __________. Redemptor Hominis. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 1979. Second Vatican Council. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes). Promulgated by His Holiness Pope Paul VI December 7, 1965. 52 1 Thessalonians 4:1. 53 GS, 22.