St. Agnes Academy Religious Studies 3 PDF

St. Agnes Academy, Inc Senior High School Legazpi City TEACHING GUIDE in Teacher: Ms. Annie Tamayo-Diño Date: Oct. 21- Nov. 2, 2024 Grade 12: All Sections Teac...

St. Agnes Academy, Inc Senior High School Legazpi City TEACHING GUIDE in Teacher: Ms. Annie Tamayo-Diño Date: Oct. 21- Nov. 2, 2024 Grade 12: All Sections Teaching Guide Number: 6 TOPIC / LESSON NAME THE CHURCH AS BAKAS AND MARY, ANG HUWARANG BAKAS The learners: CONTENT STANDARDS Understand the Church as the sacrament of the kingdom (God’s “bakas”) and the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the model sacrament (huwarang bakas) PERFORMANCE The learners: STANDARDS Document and reflect on personal experience of sacramental moments. At the end of the module, you shall be able to: 1. Explain the meaning of sacrament, sacramental, a sacramental attitude, and canonization of saints SPECIFIC LEARNING 2. Describe the qualities of sacramental living though the OUTCOMES example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the first bakas of Christ. 3. Simulate the canonization process through a canonization journal. TIME ALLOTMENT 180 minutes REFERENCES/ RESOURCES Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC); Catechism for Filipino Catholics (CFC); Becoming Church, Being Sacrament (Cacho, et. al); NRSV Bible MATERIALS Pen, laptop/cellular phone, internet connection, RS3-Lesson 6-2nd Quarter 1 KEYPOINTS: 1. Sacraments are “efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us” (CCC 1131), and traditionally used to refer to the seven ritual sacraments of the Church. 2. Sacramentum (sacrament) is an oath of a newly initiated Roman soldier to the emperor; an inculturation of sacraments among the Romans that present celebrations of a Christian commitment to Christ (Tertullian) 3. Mysterion (mystery) illustrate the essence of sacrament in the church. This was derived from the mystery religions which were popular during the 7th century. It implies making visible and palpable what is invisible and unknown. (Paul and the Greek Theologians) 4. Shekinah in Judaism is the divine manifestation to people in the world. It was derived from a root word in Hebrew which implies “to dwell” or in connection to God, it suggests the “indwelling presence of God” experienced within the early context. In the Bible, this may be gleaned from metaphors like “face of God” or “glory of God”. Common to these three concepts: sacramentum, mysterion, shekinah is the idea of a visible sign in order to make present an invisible reality, a visible expression of the invisible presence of God. If we explore the beauty of our own Filipino language, in the name of context and inculturation, we need to find a Filipino concept that would mean the same, hence, we propose the model of “bakas” for our theological reflection. Bakas is a local concept which may indicate a mark, a sign, a symbol, an imprint, a trace, or a stamp. Ang bakas ay marka, tanda, palatandaan, bahid, at simbulo. In and through a bakas we perceive a given reality that may be totally present but which we only experience in a limited way. In the Catholic understanding of sacramentality, we sense the divinity in its entirety in a bakas but only experience this fullness partially because of God’s greatness and of our human limitations. Bakas presupposes our experiencing God in the ordinary. Just as the Latin sacramentum, the Greek mysterion and the Jewish shekinah were used in the past in order to articulate our experience of God in mutual dialogue with our faith legacy, so we Filipino Christians are also challenged to search and discover within our own culture traces (bakas) of God’s presence. A. JESUS CHRIST AS THE PRIMORDIAL SACRAMENT OF GOD. In Religious Studies-2, you have encountered Jesus Christ as God’s ultimate “pagpapadama ng kagandang-loob”, the fulfillment of God’s promise of a Savior. The Word of God took on flesh, was born of a woman, grew up in all things like us except sin (Phil 2:7- 8). God who is invisible became visible in the person of Jesus Christ in the mystery known as the Incarnation. Christ is the fullest symbol of God, the primordial (first and ultimate) sign of God, because He is the incarnate Son of God, God-in-the-flesh, the only true and ONE Mediator between the people and God. The son of God became the son of man that He might change the sons of men into sons of God (cf 2 Pt 1:4) RS3-Lesson 6-2nd Quarter 2 B. THE CHURCH AS FUNDAMENTAL SACRAMENT (BAKAS) OF CHRIST The Church that Jesus established fulfills God’s eternal plan of forming a people who be “bearers of the salvation intended for all” (Gaudium et Spes 1). It is the effective material symbol of Christ’s continued spiritual presence in the world as the Risen Lord. St. Paul calls the Church Christ’s “Body” on earth (Eph 1:22) that reaches out to all to draw them and the entire creation to the Father. The Church is also the visible sign of a person’s union with Christ who is Mediator between God and man. The Church becomes the sacrament of the Risen Christ in the world today through many ways: by celebrating the seven sacraments, by proclaiming the Gospel, by calling people to conversion and discipleship, and by witnessing to Christ through acts of loving service (Mt. 25 31-46). But above all, the Church is the sacrament of Christ because Christ is present, through His indwelling spirit, in the midst of the community members. He graces them and enables them to love as He love (Jn 15:12). The Church 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” (CFC 1367). Therefore, if a sacrament is a material sign, which gives grace, affecting what it symbolizes; it causes grace by symbolizing grace, then, Christ, the eternal Word made flesh, is the visible sign, the sacrament (bakas) of God. So too, the Church, with her visible, institutional structure, is for us the sacrament (bakas) of Christ, representing him, making him present and this makes each of the baptized member a “living” sacrament of Christ. C. MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH At the beginning of the third session of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI announced that Mary would be honored under the title “Mother of the Church.” From Christ’s conception until his death, Mary was united to her Son in his work of salvation. From the Cross, Jesus entrusted his beloved disciple to Mary, telling him to see her as his own mother (Jn 19:27). When the Apostles and disciples gathered to pray after the Ascension of Jesus, Mary was with them praying for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Mary continues to pray before God for the Church and all humanity. Like Mary, the Church has a maternal role, giving birth to people in Christ. The Church can never cease to look at Mary, who gave birth to Jesus Christ. The Church contemplates Mary’s motherhood in order to fulfill her own calling to be mother of the members of Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church. Also, like Mary, the Church is virginal. The description of the Church as virginal is used here in the spiritual sense of the undivided heart and of fidelity in its most luminous form. God calls all the members of the Church to fidelity to the union with him begun at Baptism and continued in the other Sacraments. In our culture, there can be a discomfort with praying for Mary’s intercession on our behalf. This seems to be a mediating role that crosses a line set out in the First Letter to Timothy: “For there is one God. / There is also one mediator between God and the human race, / Christ Jesus, himself human / who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tm 2:5). So, Jesus Christ is the one and only mediator. Jesus alone is the Savior. But this does not deny the possibility that Christ would permit others to share in his mediating role. Here on earth, we routinely ask others for prayers. Instinctively, we turn to holy people for their prayers because they seem nearer to God. Why would we stop asking saints for their prayers after they die? If we believe they are in heaven, would not their prayers be even more effective? RS3-Lesson 6-2nd Quarter 3  From the earliest times, Christians have sought Mary’s prayers and help. There has been the basic sense on the part of the Church that Mary continues in heaven to be concerned for the growth of all members of the Church into holiness and an intimate relationship with her Son. Hence, the Blessed Mother is the exemplary first disciple (huwarang bakas) of Jesus Christ, making Him present in her life and beyond. That is why we say “ad Jesum per Mariam”, to Jesus through Mary. When we come to her we see the image of Christ, an encounter of her immaculate love is an encounter of the Son’s divine love. D. THE SACRAMENTAL LIFE. 1. Thinking Sacramentally So, what is the basic idea of sacramentality? That the physical world - matter and actions - are often vehicles of spiritual activity in our world. The sacramental vision of human existence is living between two worlds. To think sacramentally is to be aware that the physical world is only part of the story and there is much more going on around us than we perceive. We exist in a constant interaction with the Holy Trinity, Mary and the Saints, angels, demons and those poor souls on their way to heaven. In essence, we are never alone. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us..." (St. Paul, To the Hebrews 12.1) "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints..." (St. Paul, To the Ephesians 6.10-18) To think sacramentally requires sensitivity to the Word of God and the Word from God. In the Catholic tradition, we understand the "Word of God" to be the ❖ Canon of 73 written books of Sacred Scripture ❖ Sacred Apostolic Tradition of the Church Fathers (East and West) ❖ Living Magisterium, the collective teaching of the bishops in communion with the Bishop of Rome. These three together compose the "Deposit of Faith" (Jude 1.3). Recall St. Paul's words to the Thessalonian Christians: "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us." (2 Thess. 2.15). Our own consciences and beliefs have to be shaped by the Word of God outside of us as it comes to us: at Mass or private, contemplative study (lectio divina). We are RS3-Lesson 6-2nd Quarter 4 responsible to submit our minds and wills to it, to be transformed by it and to be willing to share it. Again, the words of St. Paul: "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12.2). A privileged moment of encounter with God, understood in/ by faith, has a tremendous transformative power to transcend and be aware of the activity of God in the world. As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI noted in Verbum Domini: “To receive the Word means to let oneself be shaped by him, and thus to be confirmed by the power of the Holy Spirit to Christ, the ‘only Son from the Father’ (Jn 1:14). Those who believe—that is to say, those who live the obedience of faith—have been “born of God” (Jn 1:13) and made sharers in the divine life: sons in the Son (cf. Gal 4:5-6; Rom 8:14-17).” 2. Living Sacramentally i. THE DIVINE LITURGY The hallmark of the daily Catholic adult life should be a liturgical life; that God is involved in the rhythms of time and space. The whole of the Christian life is meant to be permeated and marked by the activity of God in our own lives and the summit of this realization is the Liturgy and the Sacraments. The reception of these sacraments commits us to live a liturgical life, and this does not mean just going to Mass on Sunday and going to Confession once a year. Each and every day is meant to be a living out of sacramental grace and actual grace. Each and every day there is a wealth of grace available because of the sacraments, and we must respond to them every moment of each day. The question is how this is to be done. The first thing to realize is that, “the Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life” (CCC 1324). It is the source from which we get the power to live a daily sacramental life, and it is the summit toward which we move as Christians, namely to a more intimate union with Christ. The graces of the sacraments are always available. We are all called to be saints - to be holy men and women - who responded daily to the graces they received, to God’s life in them. To live a sacramental life also means to be immersed in the life and prayer of the church. The church’s liturgy is where this is most profoundly done. Full and active participation in the Mass as often as possible is key. This means being there both in body and in spirit. We must understand where we are, before Whom we stand, what we are doing and what is really going on in the Mass. The graces offered in the Mass are to be lived out throughout one’s life, as are the graces of all the other sacraments, what the East calls the "Energies of God." ii. SANCTIFYING THE ORDINARY: LITURGY OF THE HOURS Another way to continually live a sacramental life is to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. The Second Vatican Council urged us all to pray this prayer of the church. These prayers connect us to the Mass and can help us to extend and respond to the graces received there. Through the Liturgy, one consciously enters the liturgical year, which is meant to permeate every day of our lives. Equally, our life of prayer should reflect our knowledge and participation in the liturgical year. On saints’ memorials, feast days and solemnities, we should ask these saints to intercede for us to help us to respond more fully to the gift of God’s life, which we RS3-Lesson 6-2nd Quarter 5  possess through the sacraments. We need to reflect on the example they give us of responding to grace. iii. SANCTIFYING THE ORDINARY: THE SACRAMENTALS A further way of living this daily sacramental life is using sacramentals. The devout use of sacramentals is meant to be signs of our worship, to motivate us in holiness and draw us closer to God. They are often the means of an intimate connection between our faith, our worship and our daily life, which must be both public and private - a nexus of the spiritual and material worlds. Central to Christian maturity and this “sacramental outlook” is the renewal of our thinking and attitudes (cf. Romans 12:2). The more we see things as God sees them, the easier it is to recognize his will and follow it. As we pray, read the Sacred Scriptures and seek to live a sacramental life, the Holy Spirit will renew our minds and help us to see everything through the eyes of Christ and his church. Holy Mother Church has, moreover, instituted sacramentals. These are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church. By them men are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered holy." (CCC 1667) Sacramentals such as holy water, ashes, palms, candles and other examples are liturgical actions often part of private and corporate prayer. Other sacramentals (such as rosaries, chaplets and medals), while not used in a liturgical context, often remind individuals of God’s presence in their lives and calls them to prayer. Liturgical prayers and rites used in administering the sacraments, funerals, exorcisms, blessings of people, consecrations, and blessings of objects are also sacramental. In speaking about sacramentals, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy affirms the goodness of the material world and plainly states that “there is hardly any proper use of material things that cannot be directed toward human sanctification and the praise of God.” E. LITURGICAL SACRAMENTALS a) Holy Oils - The blessing of oils occurs on Holy Thursday by the Diocesan Bishop. Oil of Chrism (OC) is used in baptisms, confirmation, and holy orders. It is also used in blessings and consecrations. Oil of the Catechumens (OS) is used in baptism. Oil of the Sick (OI) is used in the sacraments of healing/ anointing. b) Bells - The use of bells has had a long history in marking a variety of ceremonies in the Church: they are silenced after the Gloria of Holy Week to the Gloria of Paschal Sunday; the Angelus chime marking the hour of prayer, etc. The “Sanctus” bell is sounded during the Mass, to signal the event of consecration and three times each at the elevation of the Host and the chalice. c) Palms/ Ashes - the palms of Palm/Passion Sunday are often taken home to family altars and brought back to the local church to be burned for consecrated ashes on Ash Wednesday. d) Crucifixes - a visible reminder of the Love of God and the sacrifice of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Crucifixes are constant reminders of what love looks like: a denial/ sacrifice of the self on behalf of others. "In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved (agape) RS3-Lesson 6-2nd Quarter 6  us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins" (1 John 4.10). Equally, as the crucifix is love personified, it serves as a powerful weapon against evil and with Holy Water should adorn the homes of Catholics. e) Incense - symbolic in its burning (zeal and fervor), its fragrance (virtue) and its rising smoke (acceptable prayer) as in Psalm 141:2: “Let my prayer be incense before you; my uplifted hands an evening sacrifice.” Veneration of holy objects is shown by incensing ("the incensing" of the altar, the book of the Gospel, the people and the body of the deceased at a funeral, etc.). f) Candles - the Baptismal candle is part of Christian initiation. The Christ/Easter symbol (the Paschal Candle) remains lit from its enthronement during the Easter Vigil, throughout the fifty days of Easter. After that time, it is used for its resurrection symbolism at baptisms and funerals. The often red "Sanctuary candle" signals the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Unity candles are often used at Weddings and Vigil candles or votive candles represent the prayer vigilance of expectant faith. g) Holy Water - perhaps the most common sacramental is blessed water (holy water) used for baptizing and (in the Latin Rite) to recall our baptism. Holy water fonts are often at the entrances and exits of churches. It is also found in Catholic homes in small fonts at the doorways of certain rooms. On some occasions, it is used during various rites, such as the Asperges (the blessing with holy water during the Mass), or blessing of candles, blessing new palms for Palm/Passion Sunday, or blessing attendants at Easter. h) Salt - In 2 Kings 2:20-21, Elisha was told to put salt into contaminated water. Adding salt to already brackish water to decontaminate it made the miracle all the more impressive. This first miracle of Elisha is the primary Scriptural basis for the sacramental use of blessed salt today, as the Roman Ritual indicates. Blessed salt by the priest may be used plain in exorcisms, baptism, or it may be mixed with water to make holy water (reminiscent of Elisha’s miracle). In whichever form, it is intended to be an instrument of grace (from Christ) to preserve one from the corruption of evil occurring as sin, sickness, demonic influence, etc. Salt may be sprinkled in one’s bedroom, or across thresholds to prevent burglary, in cars for safety, etc. A few grains in drinking water or used in cooking or as food seasoning often bring astonishing spiritual and physical benefits. As with the use of Sacraments, much depends on the faith and devotion of the person using salt or any sacramental, as they point to Christ and are not ends in themselves. F. NON-LITURGICAL SACRAMENTALS a) Medals - often worn as a necklace to commemorate, memorialize, and inspire us about God, Mary or one of the saints. b) Scapulars - were a part of a religious habit (uniform marking consecrated celibate life). A "lay scapular" evolved as a devotional article composed of two small rectangles of cloth worn front and back, connected by ribbons and worn under clothing. There are five most familiar that are Church approved: The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, The Red Scapular of Christ Passion, The Black Scapular of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, The Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception, The White Scapular of the Holy Trinity. The RS3-Lesson 6-2nd Quarter 7  Scapular medal is a substitute for the scapular and has the Sacred Heart on one side and Mary on the other side. c) Rosary and Chaplet - The use of "prayer beads" and the repeated recitation of prayers to aid in meditation stem from the earliest days of the Church and has roots in pre-Christian times. Evidence exists from the Middle Ages that strings of beads were used to count Our Fathers and Hail Mary’s’. The term "rosary" used as a proper noun, Rosary, designates the well-known 5-decade Dominican rosary. All other arrangements of beads are properly called "chaplets" or "crowns," or simply "beads." Besides the ordinary Dominican rosary, there are many chaplets to various saints and devotions such as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. SYNTHESIS. A sacrament reminds us that God is close to us; God is with us. Hence, sacramental attitude believes and discerns the all-pervasive presence of the divine in life and in the world; perceiving the ordinary as sacred; traces (mga bakas) of God’s love in the world. So, a person with sacramental attitude sees hints of God in varied things, persons or mementos we encounter in our daily work, so that simple events can become gentle reminder of things divine. St. Benedict reminds as all to “treat all utensils and properties of the monastery as a sacred vessel of the altar” (RB 31:10). This is a clear injunction of acknowledging the all-pervasive presence of God in the world. What was ordinary became “sacred vessels” which should be used with reverence and care. Even the poor and those neglected by society were believed to be signs of the presence of Christ (RB 53:1-2) PAUSE TO REFLECT: At this juncture, sit straight up, pause and ask yourself: Have I been living a truly sacramental life like Mary? If yes, how can I inspire others to do the same? If not, what must I do now to heed the call? ENRICH YOURSELF: Have you wondered, how the Church declares official saints? Is it right to desire to become one? Watch these videos to be informed and be inspired. o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUGRdpRJWYA o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d97Vn7q2n3I o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvys0yjUp1U o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5q50sFP0Gs RS3-Lesson 6-2nd Quarter 8