Theological Language In The Philippines Religion Essay

Theological linguistic communication in the Philippines in order to be meaningful has to hold a recognizable mention to the lived experience of Filipino Catholics, to their hunt for wellbeing, for what is worthy of world, and non merely a mention to the lived-experience of people. It should non merely convey the message across but more significantly to do sense of the sacred in the good intelligence being proclaimed. This relevancy and meaningfulness to a specific context, i.e. to hold a sense of infinite[ 2 ]( Cebuano: pag-aninaw SA Luna[ 3 ]) , grounded in the worldview of a people who embrace land ( Yuta sa Saad[ 4 ]) , for illustration, as God ‘s residence and as the sanctuary of life, should be the first jussive mood which cultural theological linguistic communication ought to carry through. Among other purposes, it should take at doing Filipino Catholics see the connexion between the Christian religion that they embrace and their ordinary lived experiences and concerns, sensitising them to God ‘s gracious and transforming presence in a universe that is genuinely sacramental, and furthering a sense of “ sacramentality ” or a “ sacramental attitude ”[ 5 ]that takes the presence of God ‘s mediated immediateness[ 6 ]in human history and civilization earnestly, acknowledging its epiphany in human life and acknowledges its diaphany[ 7 ]in the universe of the ordinary. Without this sacramental attitude, the ordinary or platitude would stay ordinary or a platitude.

Within the Catholic tradition of Christianity, none is more cardinal and more typical than the theological rule of “ sacramentality ” for Divine commercialism occurs sacramentally.[ 8 ]Underliing it is the strong belief that all world, both animate and inanimate, is potentially, or, in fact, the carrier of God ‘s presence and the instrument of God ‘s salvaging activity on humanity ‘s behalf.[ 9 ]This is the most foundational world in Christianity, whichever manner it is viewed. However, the term “ sacrament ”[ 10 ]here would be given to concentrate on God ‘s active presence in the relationship, while “ sacramental attitude ” would emphasize the antiphonal presence of the individual in the relationship.

To concentrate on the “ sacramental attitude ” does non in any manner suggest that the “ sacraments ” are less of import or less appropriate as get downing points for theological contemplation on the world of the sacramental in Christian life. On the contrary, if theological direction would further this sense of “ sacramentality ” or “ sacramental attitude ” as get downing points for cultural theological contemplation on the world of the sacramental in Christian life, it may assist heighten the Filipino Catholic ‘s apprehension and grasp of the “ sacraments ” .

The “ sacramental attitude ” can be a requirement every bit good as a co-requisite in understanding the sacramental jubilations in the Church where Filipino Catholics can consciously foreground what the sacramental rule points to. Meeting the Godhead in the poured H2O of baptism, in the assemblage of the community that breaks staff of life and portions the cup, in the anointment with oil to confirm and to mend, and in the gestures of forgiveness or commissioning celebrate and point to the presence of God in the whole of life and of creative activity which are, to utilize Gerard Manley Hopkin ‘s oft-quoted phrase, “ charged with the magnificence of God. ”[ 11 ]The sensitiveness and acknowledgment of God ‘s presence in the sacred jubilations of the Church will be hampered, if non lost, unless the existent presence of God is besides experienced with others in the universe outside of the Holy Eucharist.[ 12 ]After all, what are being celebrated in the “ sacraments ” or in the Primordial Sacred Symbols of Jesus are the Filipino Catholics ‘ Kairos experiences of God in and through their ordinary experiences in life.[ 13 ]

While the “ sacraments ” celebrate and consecrate the Kairos experiences in the lives of Filipino Catholics, the grace of these experiences must continually be strengthened by admiting the sacredness of all life and creative activity. Groome refers to this as the “ sacramental rule, ” and places the “ sacraments ” within this context. The sacramental rule proposed that everything in the life-world of people can be a “ seeable mark of the unseeable grace, ” or as St. Ignatius of Loyola says, Christians are invited to “ see God in all things. ”[ 14 ]For this ground, Stephen Bevans insists that “ civilization and history, if we are true to a existent moral force in Christianity ‘s self-understanding, must be ‘unpacked ‘ of its sacredness. ”[ 15 ]

Today, when one considers the entire image of the model in which the Christian ” sacraments ” are understood by many Filipino Catholics, one may obviously see a duality between the Christian religion that they have embraced and the manner they felt, thought, valued and behaved, and a Christian religion that has been received without an intelligent full appreciation of the religion.

The appreciation of what the Mass is today, for illustration, betrays this failure to grok what the “ sacrament ” is in Christian life. Often many Filipino Catholics speak about the sacraments as merely “ having ” the sacraments to derive the necessary graces needed for redemption, and to be with God in heaven, they speak of the sacraments as merely “ go toing Mass, ” “ having Holy Communion, ” “ being anointed out of safeguard, ” as “ mere church rites ” which are dispensed by the clergy that are undergone at specified times in life, a “ trade good ” to be simply purchased as expressed in a Filipino Catholic ‘s fright of acquiring married or observing a new born kid ‘s baptism because of the sacraments ‘ matching fee, as holding rigorous “ frock codifications, ” for the organic structure is perceived as baneful for its being a hinderance to idea and, by manner of Christian theological extension, to holiness[ 16 ]and other similar looks. These looks may give the feeling that, every bit far as sacramental life is concerned, that the sacraments had been reduced to ritualistic public presentations which are perceived as meaningless, irrelevant and unconnected with existent life experiences and state of affairss.

Such a duality is considered by the Second Vatican Council ( 1962-1965 ) as one of the more serious mistakes of our age.[ 17 ]Even if they are at least believed to give graces good for religious life, they are still regarded as removed from the mussy state of affairss of existent daily life. Sacraments as outward marks instituted by Christ to give grace have been perceived by many Filipino Catholics to belong to a realm apart from civilization and human history.

Meaning and reason are important factors in any definition of civilization[ 18 ]. If something is nonmeaningful to a individual, it can barely be portion of the individual ‘s civilization. If the experience and impression of “ sacramentality, ” are wrapped or clothed in a linguistic communication or an understanding that does non be in the autochthonal vocabulary of common, ordinary linguistic communication, the world of the sacrament may go foreigner to the civilization, fitted against the prevailing worlds and experience of many Filipino Catholics, alternatively of being inculturated[ 19 ]within their frames of mention.

Inculturation, harmonizing to Asiatic theologists, is a undertaking to be undertaken by local churches, and accordingly, by local theological direction to do the Word of God incarnated in the lives of Filipino Catholics, i.e. , to re-explain or rethink the sacraments and sacramentality in autochthonal classs, understanding and showing them by Filipinos and having the Tradition in their really ain Filipino manner, instead than chiefly interpreting the Tradition, because echt evangelization comes through the civilization.

It is here that the effort at showing a contextualized apprehension of the sacraments and sacramentality from the position of Filipino civilization and history, in peculiar that of the Filipino Mindanaon Catholics in Southern Mindanao is helpful: the common interaction of the Judaeo-Christian Tradition and the contemporary experiences of the Filipino Mindanaon Catholics. By this procedure, an inculturated reading of the religion in Jesus as the Christ will be made possible, a reading that is faithful non merely to the Tradition but to the civilization every bit good. Both poles of world refer to see, the scene of God ‘s gracious offer and love. The Judaeo-Christian Tradition is constituted by the communally recognized, discerned and recognized experiences of trusters past and present which jointly represent this community ‘s life and acquired wisdom, and which serve as a go oning beginning of counsel and inspiration. It may enable the Filipino Mindanaoan Catholics to spot equivocal state of affairss in the visible radiation of religion and to see the divinely-charged deepnesss of their experiences today in the societies in which they live. Contemporary experiences, on the other manus, may every bit count non merely because these make up life today, but besides because they throw light on the significance and importance of the Tradition for their times every bit good as their state of affairss. Through the common interaction of Judaeo- Christian Tradition and their contemporary experiences or civilization, their relationship with God is interpreted through the instrumentality of their civilization in the visible radiation of this relationship. This may ensue in an autochthonal reading of the religion. The religion is interpreted, but with autochthonal classs. Conversely, the civilization is interpreted, but in the visible radiation of the faith Tradition.

A “ plan review, ” and a reappraisal and re-examination of the method and content of theologising employed in the turning organic structure of literatures related to the “ sacraments ” which had been used in the present model of the Sacramental Theology Program and Instruction in the Vicariate Schools of Theology[ 20 ]( VST ) of Southern Mindanao may reply the uttered demand for an articulation of the “ sacrament ” and the sense “ sacramentality ” in autochthonal classs so that the sacraments that Filipino Catholics celebrate may go more comprehendible and relevant peculiarly to those Filipino Catholics in Southern Mindanao who still meets the sacraments with incomprehension. This enrichment of method and content will hold its generation in the Sacramental Theology class that will match both to the VST pupil ‘s[ 21 ]natural degree of involvement, edification, and growing, and to the nature of the college Theology as an academic subject, in the visible radiation of an incorporate educational formation plan relevant to today ‘s college pupil and to the hereafter receivers of the plan, the Filipino Mindanaoan Catholics will be the chief principle of this survey.

Statement of the Problem

This survey will be designed to beg the pre-college pupils ‘ perceptual experience on the class of the sacraments of the Vicariate Schools of Theology ( VST ) in footings of its relevancy and intelligibility in position of suggesting an enriched Teacher ‘s Manual for the Vicariate Schools of Theology of Southern Mindanao.

Specifically, this survey sought to reply the undermentioned inquiries:

What are the VST pre-college pupils ‘ and instructors ‘ present apprehension of the “ sacraments ” and “ sacramentality ” ?

What are the pre-college pupils ‘ perceptual experience sing the relevancy and intelligibility of the class on the sacraments offered at the VST in footings of:

Aims,

Contents/activities?

What aspects in the apprehension and perceptual experience of the sacrament and sacramentality indicate the demand for a reinterpretation or reappropriation in the Filipino Mindanaoan context?

What Filipino Mindanaoan construct may be utilized to efficaciously joint the world of the sacrament and sacramentality into the Filipino Mindanaoan Catholic ‘s cultural universe?

What enriched Teacher ‘s Manual on Sacramental Theology for the Vicariate Schools of Theology of Southern Mindanao possibly proposed?

Statement of the Research Aims

In position of turn toing the sensed present crisis of incomprehensibility that the sacraments run into among many Filipino Catholics, peculiarly those who are non consistently instructed about the Christian religion, this survey aims to:

First, explicate afresh what the sacrament means and to do this theological linguistic communication speak more clearly and relevantly to Filipino Catholics. Since there has been small respect for people ‘s cultural heritage, this appraisal will be an effort at the retrieval of its cultural mastermind and wisdom.

Second, further the “ sacramental attitude ” of many Filipino Catholics, their manner of looking at life, people, universe, events, actions, and things, with the “ eyes of religion and with the “ head of a truster ” by re-explaining in culturally apprehensible footings their very civilization.[ 22 ]

Third, enrich the present model of the Sacramental Theology Program and Instruction used in the Vicariate Schools of Theology of Southern Mindanao.

Definition of Footings

This glossary is intended to ease the readers in understanding the chief linguistic communication used in context of this survey. This may clear up nomenclatures and advance truth in its use and in its appreciation of significance.

Contextualization is the effort to understand the Christian religion in footings of a peculiar context. It recognizes the cogency of another venue theologicus ( theological beginning ) : present human experience – or context.

Cultural Exegesis is an interpretive activity. It is a signifier of cultural analysis for the intent of theological scrutiny and rating of the civilization. It is, foremost done from a given position. What is being analyzed in a civilization ought to hold an of import connexion to the contemporary experience of people. The exegesis of civilization, secondly, means allowing the Christian religion culturally. It is the pulling out of the inexplicit significances for the intent of conveying the good intelligence into all strata of humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within and doing it new. Rather than merely being descriptive in its apprehension of the civilization, this sort of analysis can besides be normative. Particular attending is given to those elements which have a possible for showing, foremost of all, the bosom of the Gospel in a culturally apprehensible, situationally relevant, and ecclesially antiphonal mode. A 3rd component in this exegesis is the acceptance of the insider ‘s point of position vis-a-vis the civilization. As an assistance towards a respectful and appreciative apprehension of the civilization, the analysis is one which is carried out by the native participants of the civilization. It represents the participants ‘ self-generated appreciations and analysis of their ain civilization in contrast to an foreigner ‘s position. For civilization for the participants is non merely as facet of world but a component of the ego.

Inculturation of divinity refers to the revaluing of the autochthonal civilization in the context of the contemporary challenges and the reinterpretation of the religion with autochthonal classs.

. Autochthonal Categories refer to the cultural constructs that can be used to reappropriate the Christian apprehension and preparation of the “ sacrament ” and “ sacramentality ” within the Filipino cultural context. The reading of the “ sacrament ” and “ sacramentality ” within the Filipino cultural context, doing explicit the local particulars of such elements may ease the procedure of inculturation of the sacramental attitude and give it a unequivocal and typical cultural look.

Mindanao Context refers to the contextualization of divinity in Mindanao ; an effort to understand the Christian religion in footings of the Mindanaoan context.

Aboriginal Sacred Symbols refer to the seven Sacraments in so far as they are the most of import means the Crucified and Glorified Jesus uses to do His presence truly felt. The most privileged among them is the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist in which Jesus is truly present in the sacred symbols of the celebrator, the Sacred Scriptures, the Assembly and the Consecrated Bread and Wine.[ 23 ]

Program Enrichment refers to the set of aims, contents and pedagogical methods and other related things which need to be considered or integrated into the present Sacramental Theology class in the VST Program for the intent of betterment.

Reappropriation of the Sacrament and Sacramentality is the rethinking or reinterpretation of the sacrament and sacramentality through Filipino idea.

Sacramental Attitude is the belief that disclosure as God ‘s offer of life and love is experienced and, hence, becomes seeable and tangible, in and through the ordinary fortunes of life.

Sacramental Theology Course is a first semester three hours afternoon Theology topic offered by the Ignatian Institute of Religious Education Foundation for the biennial Vicariate School of Theology Formation Program at the Pre-College degree. This class focuses on the Crucified-Glorified Jesus ‘ existent presence with the Church through Christian Prayer and Worship, particularly in the Eucharist and Marian Devotion.

Theological Constants are repeating faith elements of disclosure as God ‘s offer of life and love, the component of religion, its salvific consequence, the ethical effects originating from the God-human relationship, and the form of the unseeable going manifest in what is seeable, that can be found in a peculiar cultural look or context. These invariably repeating faith elements together constitute the “ edifice blocks ” of what the “ sacrament ” is and can function as an indispensable mention point in the reinterpretation and reappropriation of the world of the “ sacrament ” within the Filipino Mindanaoan context.

Vicariate Schools of Theology are parish-based formal acquisition centres administered by the Ignatian Institute of Religious Education Foundation in the Archdiocese of Davao for the instruction and religious formation of Catholic lay individuals in their Christian religion experience in their apostolate in the different parishes and the Gagmay ‘ nanogram Kristohanong Katilingban ( GKK ) of Southern Mindanao.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

In position of suggesting a didactically and theologically sound sacramental divinity direction for the Vicariate Schools of Theology of Southern Mindanao with an effort to show a contextualized apprehension of the “ sacrament ” and “ sacramentality ” from the position of Filipino Mindanaoan civilization and history, this survey will dig foremost, into a research on the present apprehension on “ sacraments ” and “ sacramentality ” of the VST pre-college pupils ‘ who have completed the VST class on the sacraments and instructors ‘ who have taught the said class.

Second, an appraisal on the present apprehension of the sacraments and sacramentality and the perceptual experiences on the relevancy and intelligibility of the VST class on the sacraments will be administered to the same group of pupil and instructor respondents.

Third, holding identified the demand for the reinterpretation or reappropriation of the “ sacraments ” and “ sacramentality, ” this survey will look into a cultural construct that can reappropriate the sacrament and sacramentality within the Filipino Mindanaoan context.

Fourthly, the Filipino Mindanaoan construct will hold its generation in an enriched sacramental divinity direction that will be presented in a Teacher ‘s Manual for the Vicariate Schools of Theology of Southern Mindanao.

Significance of the Study

This survey will be of aid foremost and foremost to parishes in a vicarship, colleges and universities in the Philippines offering parish catechesis/religious education/non-formal and formal pre-college theological direction, and formal divinity classs and plans severally on the sacraments. The findings of this survey will be utile in coming up with a more revitalised and well-balanced instructional ambiance that promotes a broader and deeper apprehension of the “ sacraments ” and “ sacramentality ” within the Filipino context.

Second, the Faculty of the Vicariate Schools of Theology of the Institute of Religious Education Foundation of Southern Mindanao and the catechists, spiritual educators/theology instructors of parishes in a vicarship, in colleges and in the universities severally in the Philippines will be able to efficaciously supply Filipino Catholics who have met the sacraments with much incomprehensibility, disputing new thoughts about the sacraments and sacramentality and the counsel that they need in furthering the sacramental attitude.

Third, the pupils of the Vicariate Schools of Theology of Southern Mindanao, and the pupils in other parishes in a vicarship, colleges and universities in the Philippines will be provided with the most responsible, effectual and inspiring educational plan design on the sacraments.

Premise of the Study

It is the chief premise of the survey that: the existent presence of Jesus within the seven aboriginal sacred symbols of the Church in Mindanao can genuinely be experienced if they are interpreted and articulated within the Filipino Mindanaoan cultural context. Along with this are auxiliary premises that can be highlighted in the undermentioned averments therefore:

First, the chosen Filipino Mindanaoan cultural impression and construct with its blood relations can supply the agencies to re-explain and reappropriate the sacrament and sacramentality, merely as the Grecian term mysterion and the Latin word sacramentum had efficaciously expressed these worlds in their several cultural context. The Filipino Mindanaoans ‘ personal response of sensitiveness to the gracious and transforming presence of God in their civilization through a fresh apprehension and grasp of the sacrament and sacramentality will bespeak that this venture of evangelization can through empirical observation be an effectual and a powerful educational methodological analysis as to do a pointed and effectual tool for theological direction.

Second, the use of autochthonal constructs to reappropriate the apprehension of the sacraments and sacramentality through Filipino thought clearly, acknowledging and esteeming the contextual dimension of these constructs, will non merely incarnate this facet of the Filipino Catholics ‘ religion ( i.e. , the sacramental attitude ) by agencies of the civilization, but will besides let this civilization to be permeated by the Gospel.

Third, merely as the sacrament and sacramentality have been rearticulated in different times, linguistic communications, civilizations and lived experiences, a Filipino sacramentology utilizing a Filipino Mindanaoan construct is possible.

While Filipino Mindanaoan Catholics are able to acknowledge the inventiveness and profusion of their ain civilization, they are besides given the chance to joint their life of religion through a linguistic communication near to their bosom.

The effort to show a Filipino divinity on the “ sacrament ” and “ sacramentality ” that will heighten the Filipino Mindanaoans understanding and grasp of the seven aboriginal sacred symbols of the Church will hold its initial presentation in a Teacher ‘s Manual on Sacramental Theology for the Vicariate Schools of Theology of Southern Mindanao.

Organization of the Study

This survey proposes a theoretical account for researching and understanding the “ sacraments and the sacramental attitude ” which will be articulated by utilizing Filipino Mindanaoan constructs. The full thesis is a seven chapter presentation that will try to do sense of the world of the “ sacrament ” in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition within the universe experience of the Filipino Mindanaoan civilization.

Chapter one of the thesis is the Introduction to the survey. This chapter sets the job, the premises to be studied, the aims of the research and the research methodological analysis. The first chapter includes a thorough treatment of emerging subjects, and thematically analyzed literatures in the country of sacramental divinity, the working definition of footings in the context of the survey that will be used throughout the research, its theoretical and conceptual model, and a treatment on the range and restrictions of the survey.

Chapter two through chapter four will be the treatment portion of the thesis. These chapters will show the reading of the consequences of the qualitative research and their deductions in relation to the premises of the survey.

Chapter two will research into the apprehension of the sacraments from the historical point of position. The end of this chapter is to look at how the sacraments and sacramentality had been perceived and understood by Filipino Catholics at present. This will function as the starting point for an scrutiny of how the apprehension of the sacraments has met much incomprehensibility and how a meaningful jubilation of the sacraments and an grasp of sacramentality can be enhanced. This chapter will put a phase for an geographic expedition of the re-contextualization and inculturation of the experience and impression of the “ sacrament ” and “ sacramentality. ”

Chapter three will research into the changeless theological elements present in the Mindanaoan cultural looks of the “ sacrament ” and “ sacramentality. ” Determining what these invariables ( repeating religion elements ) constitute in these looks will be used as a usher to re-explain and reappropriate the world of the “ sacrament ” within the Filipino Mindanaoan context.

Having identified the changeless theological elements in the Christian apprehension and preparation of the sacrament and sacramentality in the 3rd chapter of this survey, Chapter four will research into a Filipino Mindanaoan concept that can be used to efficaciously reappropriate the “ sacrament ” and “ sacramentality ” within the Filipino Mindanaoan context. This chapter will put a phase for the 5th chapter of this thesis, the presentation of the proposed Teacher ‘s Manual on Sacramental Theology for the Vicariate Schools of Theology of Southern Mindanao.

Chapter five will research into planing a didactically and theologically sound Filipino divinity on the “ sacrament ” and “ sacramentality ” from the position of Filipino Mindanaoan civilization and history, to heighten the Filipino Mindanaoans understanding and grasp of the seven aboriginal sacred symbols of the Church. This chapter will include the presentation of the English and Cebuano Versions of the Teacher ‘s Manual that will be composed of 16 class faculty Sessionss with a clip frame of three hours per class faculty. A prepared instructor ‘s audio-visual instructional stuff and instructor ‘s usher with pupil ‘s activities in Portable Document Format ( PDF ) which can be accessed through a Digital Video DiscA orA Digital Versatile Disc ( DVD ) will be included in each class faculty. The presentation of the Teacher ‘s Manual will include the Rationale of the Course, the Course Description, the Course Overview, the General Objectives, the Academic-Formation Process and the Course Outline. The last subdivision will include an debut to the apprehension of sacramentality, the Incarnation, which means Jesus, in his humanity, as the aboriginal sacrament, the church as a foundational sacrament, a presentation of the grave statements of the magisterium and their significance within this postmodern model. An Overview of the Course Content will be presented in item in the Appendix subdivision of the thesis. The class will concentrate on the subject: Experiencing Jesus ‘ Real Presence within the Seven Primordial Sacred Symbols of the Church in the Mindanao Context.

Chapter six will show the Summary, Findings and Conclusion of the survey. This chapter will supply a sum-up of the full thesis and will foreground the important findings of the survey and their deductions.

Enterprises that could be taken by other research workers to foster the consequences and deductions of the survey will be discussed in Chapter seven of the thesis entitled, Recommendations for Future Researches.

The Bibliography that will be used in carry oning the survey, and the Appendixs such as the missive of petition from the Executive Director of IIREF and thesis advisor for the disposal of the questionnaires and interviews, the sample questionnaires, and the overview for the proposed VST Teacher ‘s Manual on Sacramental Theology will be the last two subdivisions that will be presented in the thesis.