Lesson 4 Revelation PDF

**Introduction** ================ **Friendship begins with one hello... It is indeed impossible to have a relationship with someone who is not known. Introducing one's self to another is basic in initiating friendship. This introduction should be sustained by constant communication through which th...

**Introduction** ================ **Friendship begins with one hello... It is indeed impossible to have a relationship with someone who is not known. Introducing one's self to another is basic in initiating friendship. This introduction should be sustained by constant communication through which the unfolding of self takes place. We call this process as revelation.** But how does this idea of "revelation" relate to ordinary Filipino life? The answer is in our personal relationships. One of the best things you can say about a Filipino is: "Marami siyang kakilala" (He knows many people), or "Maraming nakakakilala sa kanya" (Many people knew him). On the other hand, one of the worst things to say about a Filipino is "Wala siyang kakilala" (Nobody knows him), or "Walang kumikilala sa kanya" (No one gives him recognition). So in our family relationships and friendships we reveal our personal selves to others, and openly receive their self-giving to us. This is what uplifts the Filipino. Now the first one to know us, the first one to show us recognition and reach out to establish a personal relationship with us - to become our kakilala - is God. Only in relation to God do we become our full selves. Only in coming to know God do we grow to the full stature of our true selves. But how do we come to know the one true God? **We call this divine revelation. What does it mean? Why did God Reveal Himself? What did he reveal?** In this module, you will discover the unfathomable love of God to humankind who took the initiative of revealing himself. **Activity** **Know Your Teacher.** Answer correctly the following questions. 1. What is my complete name? 2. Who was the first person who broke my heart? 3. Who was my first highschool campus crush? 4. Where did I finish my high school years? 5. What is my favorite color? 6. When is my birthday? 7. What is my email address? 8. When did I finish my elementary years? 9. What is my childhood nickname? 10. What is the name of my pet? **Q: 1. What were your struggles/difficulties while answering the questions?** **2. How would you relate the activity to the act of revelation?** **Acquisition of New Knowledge** From the Latin ***revelare*: "to unveil" or "to disclose", "Revelation is God's personal loving communication to us of who He is and His plan to save us all in His love. It is God's reaching out to us in friendship, so we get to know and love Him." God**, in his desire to enter into a loving relationship with humanity, **took the initiative of introducing himself to us**, and of communicating with us both through natural and supernatural means. In order for us to know who God is, we have to pay attention to the different **avenues** by which God communicates with us. **I. GOD REVEALS HIMSELF** **A. In Creation**  The first way God reveals Himself to us is through creation. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork" (Ps 19:1). In creation, man holds a special place. God said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Gn 1:26). God even gives us a share in His own creativity: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it" (Gn 1:28). God creates the whole world for us, to support us in life and reveals Himself to us through His handiwork. "Since the creation of the world... God's eternal power and divinity have become visible, recognized through the things He has made" (Rom 1:20). *Natural Signs* For us Filipinos, then, the world and everything in it are natural signs of God the initial way God makes Himself known to us. Yet in our everyday experience, we meet not only love, friendship, the good and the beautiful, but also suffering, temptation and evil. All creation has become affected by sin "sin entered the world, and with sin death" (Rom 5:12). The "natural signs" of the Creator have thus become disfigured by pollution, exploitation, injustice, oppression and suffering. So God chose to reveal Himself in a second, more intimate way, by entering into the history of the human race He had created. **B. In Scripture, through Salvation History** The Bible records God's entering into a special covenant relationship with His chosen people, the race of Abraham, the people of Israel. "I will dwell in the midst of the Israelites and will be their God" (Ex 29:45). Again, we pray in the Eucharistic Prayer IV: Even when man disobeyed you and lost your friendship, You did not abandon him to the power of death, But helped all men to seek and find you. Again and again you offered a covenant to man, and through the prophets taught him to hope for salvation. *Biblical Signs* God revealed Himself in stages. In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself through biblical signs made up of both deeds and words. He made covenants with Noah, with Abraham, and with Moses. He performed great works for His Chosen People, and proclaimed their saving power and truth through the prophets' words (cf. DV 2; CCC 56-64). Through chosen men and women kings, judges, prophets, priests and wise men, God led, liberated, and corrected His people. He forgave their sins. He thus revealed Himself as Yahweh, He-who-is-with His people. He is "the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity" (Ex 34:6). Today, through His inspired word in the Old Testament, God still reveals Himself to us, and inspires us to respond to His covenant. **C. In the Church** But God's definitive revelation in Jesus Christ did not stop with Christ's ascension to his Father. Jesus himself had gathered around him a group of disciples who would form the nucleus of his Church. In this Church, the "Good News" of Jesus Christ would be proclaimed and spread to the ends of the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit, sent down upon the apostles at Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:8). "What was handed on by the apostles comprises everything that serves to make the People of God live their lives in holiness and increase their faith. In this way the Church in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes" (DV 8; cf. CCC 77-79). PCP II summarizes this by stating that Sacred Scripture and the living tradition of the Church transmit to us the teachings of Jesus" (PCP II 65). *Liturgical/Ecclesial Signs* God continues to manifest Himself today through the Holy Spirit in the Church. He is present in the Church's preaching the truth of Scripture, in its witness of loving service, and through the celebration of its Christ-given Sacraments. Christ's revelation in the Church is "the new and definitive covenant \[which\] will never pass away. No new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Tim 6:14; Ti 2:13)" (DV 4). **D. In Other Religions** But many Filipino Catholics ask if non-Christians receive God's revelation. The Church, in her prophetic mission of "reading the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel" (GS 4), discerns the seeds of the Word in the history and culture of all men of good will. Thus, even non-Christians "who do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do His will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience, may achieve eternal salvation" (LG 16). For whatever is true and holy in non-Christian cultures and religions is accepted by the Catholic Church since it "often reflect\[s\] a ray of that truth which enlightens all men." Filipino Catholics, therefore, should "acknowledge, preserve and encourage the spiritual and moral truths found among non-Christians, also their social life and culture" (NA 2). PCP II provides guidelines for this inter-religious dialogue. It must be based firmly on the fact that salvation in Jesus Christ is offered to all, and that the Church is the ordinary means of salvation since she possesses the fullness of the means to salvation (cf. UR 3). This makes possible "openness in understanding the religious convictions of others. \[For\] 'dialogue based on hope and love will bear fruit in the Spirit' (RMi 56)" \[PCP II 112-13\]. **II. JESUS CHRIST:** **AGENT, CONTENT AND GOAL OF REVELATION** Nevertheless, we Catholics must "witness to \[our\] own faith and way of life" in the Catholic Church which "proclaims, and is duty-bound to proclaim, without fail, Christ who is the way, the truth and the life" (NA 2). Jesus Christ is "himself both the mediator and the fullness of all Revelation" (DV 2; cf. CCC 65). PCP II puts it sharply: "We are followers of Christ, his disciples. We trace his footsteps in our times, to utter his word to others. To love with his love. To live with his life... To cease following him is to betray our very identity" (PCP II 34). Filipino Catholics, therefore, recognize in Jesus Christ the goal, the content, and the agent of God's Self-revelation. **A. Goal** As goal, Jesus is "the key, the center and the purpose of the whole of man's history" (GS 10), in whose image we all are to be conformed (cf. Rom 8:29). For it is through the Risen Christ that we shall share the Trinitarian divine life of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Therefore our present earthly life is a challenge to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ," as St. Paul admonishes us (cf. Rm 13:14). **B. Content** But Christ is not only the goal of God's revelation, He is also its content, the Revealed One. In himself, Jesus reveals both God and ourselves. "Christ, the new Adam, in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of His love, fully reveals man to himself and brings to light his most high calling" (GS 22). Our Faith centers on Christ precisely because we believe we "are called to union with him, who is the light of the world, from whom we go forth, through whom we live, and towards whom our whole life is directed" (LG 3). **C. Agent** Finally, besides being the goal and content of Revelation, Christ is also its agent, the mediator (cf. DV 2). "God is one. One also is the mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all" (1 Tim 2:5-6). Christ is revealer through his part in creation, through his becoming man, through his hidden and public life, and especially through his passion, death and resurrection. After his resurrection, the Risen Christ continues his revelation by sending us his Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth (cf. DV 4). 80\. But how does the revealing Christ touch the Filipino Catholic today? Clearly, through his Church, the people of God, united in his name. "The one mediator, Christ, established and ever sustains here on earth his holy Church, the community of faith, hope and charity, as a visible organization through which he communicates truth and grace to all men" (LG 8). The Church herself receives Christ's revelation. She regards "the Scriptures, taken together with sacred Tradition, as the supreme rule of her faith." For they present "God's own Word in an unalterable form, and make the voice of the Holy Spirit sound again and again in the words of the prophets and apostles" (DV 21). **III. WHERE WE FIND GOD'S REVELATION** **A. Scripture and Tradition** The Sacred Scriptures, collected in the Bible, are the inspired record of how God dealt with His people, and how they responded to, remembered, and interpreted that experience. The Scriptures arose, then, as the expression of the people's experience of God, and as a response to their needs. Collectively, the Scriptures form "The Book of the People of God" the book of the Church. The Bible was written by persons from the people of God, for the people of God, about the God-experience of the people of God" (NCDP 131). **Biblical Inspiration** The Sacred Scriptures are said to be "inspired" in a special sense not just as some artist or author may be "inspired" to paint or compose. Rather, biblical inspiration means that the sacred and canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, whole and entire, were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that we can call God their "author" and the Bible "the Word of God" (cf. DV 11; CCC 105-6). God chose certain human authors, who as true authors made full use of their human powers and faculties, yet were so guided by the Holy Spirit who so enlightened their minds and moved their wills, that they put down in writing what God wanted written. **The Canon of Scripture** Because of disputes, the Church found it necessary to make a definitive list, a "canon" of the books which have been truly inspired by God and thus have God for their author (cf. CCC 120). The Canon of Scripture is divided into the books written before Jesus' life (the Old Testament) and those written after (the New Testament). Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church determined the inspired and normative NT books in terms of their apostolic origin, coherence with the essential Gospel message, and constant use in the Church's liturgy. After a long development, the Church finally accepted as inspired, sacred, and canonical, the 46 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament that we find in our Catholic Bible. **Inerrant Saving Truth** Since all of Scripture was written, compiled and edited under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture, firmly, faithfully and without error, teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures" (DV 11; cf. CCC 107). In recognizing the Bible as normative, the Church confesses that when properly used, Scripture imparts saving truth that can be relied upon to bring us into deeper communion with God. **B. Interpreting Scripture** St. Paul tells us that "all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching for reproof, correction, and training in holiness so that the man of God may be fully competent and equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17). But the problem, of course, is how to faithfully and accurately interpret Scripture. For the Filipino Catholic, the answer is clear. "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone" (DV 10). **Four Factors** At least four factors play a significant part in interpreting Scripture: (1) the inspired human author's intention; (2) the text itself; (3) the reader of the text; and (4) the common horizon connecting the original community context of the text with our Christian community reading it today. 1. **Instruction: Complete the concept map below. Supply it with the needed information.** 2. **God**, in his desire to enter into a loving relationship with humanity, **took the initiative of introducing himself to us**, and of communicating with us both through natural and supernatural means. Express your gratitude to God for this wonderful gift through a written prayer. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ **Assessment** **Answer correctly the following questions. 3points for each question.** 1. What is "Revelation"? 2. How does God reveal Himself? 3. How important is Jesus Christ in God's Revelation? What makes Jesus the fullness of God's divine revelation? 4. How does Christ reveal God to us today? 5. To whom does God reveal Himself? **References** Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). (1997). Catechism for Filipino Catholics (CFC) (pp 21-29) Manila: ECCCE and Word & Life Publication. Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Phlippines (CBCP). (1995). The Acts and Decress of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II) (pp. 112-13) Pasay City: St. Paul Publications Pope Paul VI. (2020 June 14). Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum***. Retrieved from***