Mediodia, Ilssa Ma. Tara T.

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Chapter 6- 12 Summary

Chapter 6 God Father Almighty

On Chapter 6 focused on the Christian Creed. Among Filipinos, it is taken for granted that God
is central to their community life and welfare, as well as family and individual interests. When
there is a new housing there is a chapel soon to be followed. We Filipinos show a great passion
and relationship to God and we show it nothing less that we know that we are already showing it.

The creed will teach us to ground ourselves on we do, what we will do, we want or we are, to
believe and to trust God. The Creed is presumed to be the official source for clarifying who God
is, and how we are related to Him.

Chapter 6 has more focus on the God the Father Almighty and like Jesus said that God lives in
him and he lives in God. God has not yet been seen but we can see him through Jesus and Jesus
teachings. There are 5 reasons that God is absolutely the Father Almighty. First he is indeed our
creator God who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk on it. Second reason that
God is our Father because He provides for our needs. The Psalmist said that the Lord is my
shepherd and I shall not want. He sent Jesus, the Good Shepherd who taught: If God clothes in
such splendor the grass of the field how much more will he provide for you, O weak in faith!
God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die,
but may have eternal life The most famous line in the bible ( John 3:16) . The Fourth reason is
Gods indwelling spirit. God sends us his spirit to
Share His divine life with us.

Father tells us that God is personal close to us, not an impersonal force, distant and far off. He
cares for us even with motherly love. For all evil and sufferings out there, We know that God
makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him.

Chapter 7 God the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth . The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims His handiwork. The Psalmist replies: By the word of the Lord the
heavens were made; by the breath of His mouth all their host. . . He spoke, and it was made; He
commanded, and it stood forth (Ps 33:6,9).

God created the heaven and earth and we have no doubts about. Some does but our Faith can
prevailed us and still believe that God is indeed the creator of heaven and earth. When we heard
the word Creator God is the first that comes in our mind. Creator is perhaps the most
fundamental image we can have of God. It sets God apart from all created things as the only
Uncreated Reality. At the same time, it relates Him to every person, place or thing as their
Primary Cause for existing. Thus God the Creator is both transcendent (beyond) all He made, yet
immanent (remaining) in it, constantly sustaining it in existence . Prophet Isiah also presents the
oracle of the Lord : Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, who formed you from the womb: I am
the Lord who made all things (Is 44:24). Again, even more forcefully, the prophet declares: For
thus says the Lord, the Creator of the heavens, who is God, the designer and maker of the earth,
who established it . . . I am the Lord, and there is no other . . . There is no just and saving God
but me. Turn to me and be safe, all you ends of the earth, for I am God; there is no other!
(Is45:18,22). St. Irenaeus explained how God is Father, Creator, Author, who made all things
through His Word (Son) and Wisdom (Spirit), who are like His two hands . God is the
dependent of everything no can rival God nor questioned him. God created the visible and the
invisible. Invisible are angels that are guiding us from above and serving those who inherit
salvation. Angels had a vital role in the history of salvation. The Old Testament gives these
powerful spiritual creatures different names which reveal both their function and their the life of
the People of God. Angels were also closely associated with the earthly existence and mission of
our Lord. Love, obedience and gratitude to the guardian angel is by no means something for
children only.

Chapter 8 Fall from Glory

We are bound to thank God for everything but man chose to exchange the glory of the immortal
God into the images of man, plants and snakes. The first human beings, enticed by the Evil One,
abused their freedom at the very start of history. Although they had known God, they did not
glorify Him as God, but their senseless hearts were darkened, and they served the creature rather
than the Creator (cf. GS 13). Usually we Filipinos are ever ready to excuse our own and others
faults: Sapagkat tayoy tao lamang. We often interpret our misfortunes as punishment from
God for our sins (tadhana), or as a test from God (pagsubok). The word Sorry!, with exclamation
point means pasensiya, doesnt give anymore genuine sorrow perhaps its like tao lang
pagsubok lang to. Another common problem arises when, with the familiar bayanihan spirit,
some socially oriented project is begun. Too often it fails because of the ningas-kugon defect
of not following through when the initial enthusiasm wanes. The sinfulness is the tragic
background needed to understand Gods loving plan to save all men. Only in the light of this
Revelation of Gods incredible love for us can we clearly see the reality of sin (cf. CCC 387) the
scripture of Fall is found in the book of Genesis. In that book, the creation of God, the man and
the woman turned away from God, their Creator and followed the serpent. Jesus was also
tempted by the serpent and Jesus called it the father of lies. Scripture gives witness to the
disastrous influence, of these created personal beings called also fallen angels. In rebelling
against God, man and woman destroyed their original harmony with: each other ( they realize
each other naked) other ( Cain murdered Abel) the community (the tower of Babel) Another
account of Fall was from St. Paul. HEinsists strongly on the fact that All have sinned and are
deprived of the glory of God (Rom 3:23; cf. 5:12). But he is equally insistent that Just as in
Adam all die, so in Christ all will come to life again (1 Cor 15: 22). We Filipinos today,
inherited the sinful condition started by his originating sin in which we all are born with. It is a
dogma of our Christian Faith that we all need to be redeemed. First of all, in describing original
sin today we speak of the sin of the world (Jn 1:29; CCC This means the polluted
atmosphere into which we all are born. Second, there is the personal interior dimension of
original sin, the heart of darkness within us which is in all men, proper to each (Trent, ND
510). We experience this aspect of original sin especially in one of its effects that remains even
after Baptism, called concupiscence. Third, there is the ratification of original sin by our
personal sinful thoughts, words and deeds. Our concupiscence manifests itself in certain sources
or roots of sins traditionally called the seven capital sins. Finally, we all must face the ultimate
test of our lives: death. Our natural deep fear and dread of total annihilation and extinction can
make death a traumatic test. St. Paul also brings out clearly the relation of death to sin: The
reality of original sin is brought home to most Filipinos by two prominent aspects of our Catholic
life. The first is our practice of infant Baptism. Who of themselves have not yet committed any
sin are truly baptized for the remission of sins The second aspect of Filipino Catholic life that
brings out the reality of original sin is devotion to Mary, the Immaculate ConceptionIn worship,
a more accurate understanding of original sin would help the Filipino Catholic toward a far
deeper appreciation of Baptism. Instead of a social ceremonial ritual which by some magic
supposedly washes away sin from an apparently innocent child, Baptism would be seen as a
real force throughout our Christian lives.

Chapter 9 God promises a Savior

You will know that I, the Lord, am your God when I free you from the labor of the Egyptians and
bring you to the land which I swore to give. (Ex 6:7-8) With the Lord is kindness and plenteous
redemption. He will redeem Israel from all their iniquities. (Ps 130:7-8) The Old Testament story
of Gods love for His people centers on His promise of salvation. Most Filipinos have a natural
attraction for the Word of God in the Old Testament. In their early years they love to hear the
Bible stories of the great figures like Moses, Jonah, David, Samson, Solomon and the like. At
Sunday Mass they hear readings from the Old Testament. Many Catholic Filipinos find difficulty
in responding to these challenges since their familiarity with the Old Testament is often
dominated by literal acceptance of what the Bible says. The biblical dramas are taken as
simple stories, without discerning the underlying deeper meaning. the whole Old Testament is a
three-part presentation of the saving acts of God. First, there is the Torah, the historical books
revealing God in the history of His Covenant Promises to Israel. Second, the prophets Word of
the Lord promises deliverance from slavery and exile. Third, the writings of the sages, the poets
and the visionaries offer inspired means for discerning Gods saving presence in daily life (cf.
CCC 702). The first five books of the OT, called the Pentateuch, constitute the core of the Torah,
or Law. But unlike our laws today, the Old Testament Torah was formed gradually as a narrative
memory of Gods covenant with His people.

The prophetic message is inspiring an extraordinarily active ministry of the Catholic Church in
the Philippines in its thrust for justice through a preferential option for the poor. The prophetic
message of conversion, of hope in the Lord, of fidelity to the Covenant with God our Savior,
remains ever new and ever relevant. The third part of the Old Testament, called the Writings,
presents the discernment needed for ordinary day-to-day living. The Psalms and the Wisdom
literature present how the faithful can discern the presence of God in their daily lives. The
Psalms present another dimension of salvation. Characteristic of the Psalms is their direct
personal address to God, expressing deep faith and trust in the Lord. Filipinos are naturally
drawn to the psalms to express their utang na loob for Gods tremendous kagandahang-loob
with them. Doctrinal Dimension. Nevertheless, the Old Testaments inspired narrative grounds
most of the basic doctrines of our Catholic Faith. Moral Dimension. The moral code of the Ten
Words at Sinai still grounds the New Covenants moral stance, as Jesus himself presented it.
Worship Dimension. The Churchs liturgical worship in the Eucharist celebration draws directly
on the Jewish synagogue service of Gods Word in Sacred Scripture, and especially on Israels
great feast of the Passover.

Chapter 10 Jesus Christ: Mission and Person

The center of our Christian Faith is Jesus Christ. Hence he is the heart and center of catechesis
(cf. PCP II 157-9; CCC 426-29). Thus the chief aim of this Catechism is to put Filipinos not
only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ: only He can lead us to the love
of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity (CT 5). Like PCP II,
this Catechism intends to be a venue for meeting with Christ. It is directed toward a New
Evangelization based on the preaching of Christ Crucified to todays Filipinos and Asians. . To
proclaim the wonderful redemptive acts of Christ our Lord, from Aparri to Jolo. To re-animate
our life in Christ Jesus; to unite all things in him This chapter takes up the mission and identity
of Jesus Christ. The two following chapters develop the central truths of his Paschal Mystery as
proclaimed in the Eucharistic acclamation: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come
again. As the only Christian nation of Southeast Asia, we Filipinos can be proud of our faith in
Jesus Christ. the Catholic Filipino in terms of five images of Christ: as Son of God and Son of
Man, as Eucharist, as Suffering Servant, as King, and as Miracle worker, within a
Maryinspired approach. Here we wish to focus on how to come to a deeper, truer understanding
of what Jesus Christ does and who he is. This tells us something of both the real Jesus Christ
living today, and of our deep-felt values and needs as Filipinos, our kalooban, as redeemed
disciples of Christ Three popular Filipino images of Christ are particularly expressive. First is
the Santo Nio (the Holy Child) imaging the innocence, simplicity, child-like wonder of Christ.
A second common image is Hesus Nazareno, picturing the suffering Jesus and inspiring many
folk devotional panata. This image of Jesus suffering love is very consoling to numberless
Filipinos in dire poverty and hardshipsA third popular image of Christ, common in jeepneys and
tricycles, is the Sacred Heart, whose meek and mild countenance invites like attitudes in his
followers. Traditional Filipino courtesy and patience in the face of suffering are thus religiously
grounded. On the other hand, the continuing violence in armed conflicts and kidnapping
manifests the deep-set cry of so many Filipinos today for social liberation. They are seeking a
way to break out of the injustices and oppressive structures that exploit them. It is in this
concrete Philippine context that Jesus Christ must be approached today. As Church of the Poor,
we Filipino Catholics must be willing to follow Jesus Christ through poverty and oppression in
order to carry out the work of salvation The irreplaceable starting point for knowing Christ is
the historical Jesus.

Chapter 11 Christ Has Died

The Son of Man has come not to be served but to serve to give his life in ransom for the many.
(Mk 10:45) I solemnly assure you, unless the grain of wheat falls to
the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. (Jn
12:24) 10, we now focus on his Passion and Death, and their meaning for Filipino Christian life.
For suffering and death are two inescapable realities which every human person has to face. The
whole earthly life of Christ came to its climax in his Paschal Mystery, his suffering, Death and
Resurrection. For even the Cross is uplifting. In a secular sense, it was the means of the most
painful and degrading death. But for us Christians, the Cross of Christ is the symbol of salvation.
At Baptism we are marked with the sign of the Cross.
Throughout life we are blessed with this sign, and sign ourselves with it in prayer. St. Paul wrote
the Corinthians that he would speak of nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:2).
The Creed puts great stress on Christs passion and death. Immediately following born of the
Virgin Mary, it proclaims five actions undergone by Jesus: suffered, was crucified, died, was
buried, and descended to the dead. St. Paul expressed the core of the Good News given him as
follows: For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for
our sins in accordance with the Scriptures The Cross, then, does not exalt passive suffering or
weakness, as some have exploited it in order to dominate others. It is, rather, the transformation
of suffering and weakness through active, total self-giving love. The Apostolic Faith expressed in
the New Testament sees in Jesus passion and death not just some incidental historical event of
Jews and Romans, but the saving act of God in Jesus free selfsacrifice. Jesus himself clearly
understood his Passion and Death as his mission from the Father, interpreted in the light of the
Old Testament prophets. Jesus saw his Passion and Death as redemptive, his ultimate service in
the Kingdom. The Son of Man has not come to be served but to serve to give his life in
ransom for the many (Mk 10:45). Church tradition has stressed this redemptive and sacrifical
character of Christs Passion and Death. Our Lord Jesus was once and for all to offer himself to
God the Father by his death on the altar of the cross, to accomplish an everlasting redemption
Christ died for our sins (1 Cor 15:3), then, means two things. First, Jesus died because of our
human sinfulness. Second, he died to show us, and empower us, to overcome sin and its effects
in our broken world. Second, this saving love of Christ is eschatological. Jesus did not die
simply to raise our standard of living, or make life easier. Christs Cross on Calvary stands as a
symbol of his universal redeeming love. Third, this dimension is already present in us in grace,
empowering us so that all our actions can have saving power. The Father sent His Son as
savior of the world. Jesus could do this because he lived totally for his heavenly Father, in
complete self-giving service for others. He was the Sacrament of Gods loving presence and
power. The last action of Christs Passion and Death proclaimed in the Creed is: He descended
to the dead. The first meaning of this expression may simply be a confirmation of died and was
buried. Christ truly and fully underwent the final test of all humans, death

Chapter 12 Christ is Risen and will Come Again

If Christ was not raised, your faith is worthless. You are still in your sins. . If our hopes in Christ
are limited to this life only, we are the most pitiable people. (1 Cor 15:17,19) The Resurrection of
Jesus Christ is the primordial Christian proclamation. The early Christian kerygma stands or falls
with the resurrection and exaltation of the crucified Jesus as LORD (cf. CCC 638). Even today,
when we read the Gospel accounts of Christ raised from the dead, we experience the incredible
joy and excitement of that unique, world-shaking event. The Lord has been raised! It is true! He
has appeared to Simon (Lk 24:34). Christs Resurrection is far from being merely the personal
miraculous return from the dead which one might expect of the crucified God-man. being merely
the personal miraculous return from the dead which one might expect of the crucified God-man.
The actual event of Christ rising from the dead was the real starting point and foundation for the
beginnings of the Christian Faithf or the Christian community, the Church; for adequate
understanding of Christ, his Passion and Death; for how Christ fulfilled the Old Testament
prophecies; for the apostolic commission to preach Christ to the whole world. This is
understandable, given our own situation of poverty and suffering. Nevertheless it can obscure the
full, adequate understanding of Christ, our Risen Savior. We have developed some beautiful
religious celebrations at Easter. There is the Salubong, which dramatizes the meeting of the
Risen Christ with the Blessed Virgin Mary, his Mother. In it, we can see how Marys deep sorrow
is turned to inexpressible joy. Or the custom of depicting the sleeping Roman soldiers, awakened
by the chanting of the Easter Glory and the great noise of the ringing Church bells announcing:
Jesus has Risen! The soldiers run out of the Church in great fright and consternation. It is not
something familiar to our ordinary experience. So a special effort is needed by us Filipino
Catholics of today if we are to become more aware of the full truth and reality of Christs
Resurrection. For this is the unique key to deeper personal understanding of the living Christ,
and of our authentic living out the Catholic Faith. St. Paul clearly affirmed the singular
importance of the Resurrection in declaring: If Christ was not raised, your faith is worthless (1
Cor 15:17). This means that if Christ is not risen, Paul and all Christians would then be exposed
as false witnesses of God, for we have borne witness before Him that He raised up Christ (1 Cor
15:15). In brief, if Christ be not risen, we are all idolaters! First, his Resurrection confirmed
everything Christ had done and taught fulfilled both Jesus triple prediction of his Passion, Death
and Resurrection in the Synoptics. Second, through his Resurrection, Christ fulfilled the Old
Testament prophecies promising a Savior for all the world (cf. Ps 110; Dn 7:13). The history of
Gods Self-revelation, begun with Abraham and continuing through Moses, the Exodus, and the
whole Old Testament, reached its climax in Christs Resurrection, something unprecedented,
totally new. Third, the Resurrection confirmed Jesus divinity. St. Paul preached that Jesus was
designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the
dead (Rom 1:4; cf. Phil 2:7-8). Fourth, Christs death freed us from sin, and his Resurrection
brought us a share in the new life of adopted sons/daughters of the Father in the Holy Spirit.
Finally, the Risen Christ is the principle and source of our future resurrection. This means Jesus
rose not only to a glorious higher state of life himself, but also to become the source of this
new life for all. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power
that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself (Phil 3:21). Many Filipino
Catholics today seem to feel uneasy if asked to explain the meaning and implications of Christs
Resurrection. This may indicate that, many merely accept the fact that Christ has risen from the
dead. But they have no idea of what this means nor do they know how to live out its
implication in their lives. No one has helped them see how Jesus Resurrection can be the basic
principle and animating force for a truly Christian way of life. We are saved only if we not only
confess with our lips that Jesus is Lord but also believe in our hearts that God raised him from
the dead Jesus Resurrection is not only a proof of the Gospel message __ it IS also the
message! On the contrary, Christs Resurrection is the central event of Gods whole plan of
salvation. This is how God wills to save all persons for all time. In the Risen Christ a new age
has dawned, the long reign of sin is ended, a broken world has been renewed, and we are once
again made whole The Resurrection was basically Jesus passage from death to new, definitive
glorified life. First, as an event, Christs Resurrection is both historical and trans-historical. It is
historical in terms of the testimony of witnesses to the Risen Christ, the empty tomb, etc. Second,
the glorified state of the Risen Christ is both like and unlike the historical, earthly Jesus. He has
personal continuity with his prior earthly bodily existence. Third. As effected by the Trinity, the
Resurrection represents the definitive intervention of the Triune God into creation and our human
history. The New Testament gives witness to Christs Resurrection in three basic ways. First, the
Kerygma or early preaching of the Gospel, proclaimed the central importance of Christs
Resurrection. Second, Jesus Presence, both in the Risen Christs appearances, and then through
the teaching, moral exhortation, and worship of the Apostolic Church, witnesses to his
Resurrection. And finally, the Resurrection is proclaimed as the Christians future. Through
Christs Resurrection, a real transformation of creation was effected by God . the tradition of the
empty tomb does not prove anything. But when linked to the Risen Christs appearances, it is
confirmatory of the Resurrection (cf. CCC 640). But the raising of Christ did not stop with his
Resurrection from the dead. An integral part of Christs Paschal Mystery is his AscensionWe are
aware of the living presence of the Risen Christ among us in the Holy Spirit sent among us. But
we also know from the Creed that he will come again to judge the living and the dead (cf. CCC
687-82). In the first Eucharistic acclamation we proclaim: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ
will come again! Christian morality rests precisely on the presence of the Risen Christ among
us today, through the Spirit he has sent into our hearts. Christian worship depends for its validity
on the Resurrection, for if Jesus be not risen, he cannot mediate for us before the Father, nor be
experienced in his Sacraments.