PRELIMS WEEK 1

GOD’S JOURNEY WITH HIS PEOPLE

Introduction:
1. Introduction to Sacred Scriptures
2. Bible
3. Biblical inspiration
4. Canon of the Bible
5. Interpretation of the Biblical Text
Chapter I. God, the FATHER journeys with His people: God’s promises and blessings
Patriarchs
1. Moses
Nevi’im
1. Isaiah
2. Jeremiah
3. Hosea
4. Amos
5. Jonah
The Ketuvim
1. Job
2. Ecclesiastes
3. Wisdom
4. Psalms
Chapter II. God, the SON (Jesus) journeys with His people
A. John the Baptist
B. Mary, Mother of Jesus
C. Jesus as the fullness of God’s revelation (Creation story-Jesus as the New Adam)
 Jesus and the Kingdom of God (total well-being of people) Jesus’ Preaching Ministry
 Jesus’ Healing Ministry
 Jesus’ Table Fellowship
 Jesus’ love in his passion, death and resurrection

Chapter III. God, the HOLY SPIRIT journeys with His people
A. The Early Christian Community
B. Pentecost Experience Acts 2:1-11
C. Conversion of Paul Acts 9:1-15
D. Christian Community Today
1. Vatican II (LG, GS)PCP II (Renewed way of catechesis)
E. Liturgy and Sacraments
1. Popular Religiosity (Patron saints, devotions to the BVM and the Saints)

God created all things, (world and the human persons). They were in “paradise” which means, there was harmony,
justice, peace, and joy. Despite the very good conditions of life that they were in, the first human beings (“Adam” and
“Eve”) still committed sin.
Brief Historical Background of the Church

Sacrament: means channel, representative, visible sign of an invisible reality

God → Jesus → Church

The Sacrament of God is Jesus and the Sacrament of Jesus is the Church (John 20:21, Acts 1:8)
The Church started as a religious renewal “movement”/group in Jerusalem, Israel by no other than Jesus Christ. Jesus
grounded the Church on the foundation of the Apostles and it spread from Jerusalem to the Roman Empire world until
throughout all the earth.
The first “name” of the Church was The Way (Acts 9:2), The members of the Church were called Christians in
Antioch (Acts 11: 26). The Church was persecuted by the Roman Empire (which was still pagan) until the Conversion of
the Emperor Constantine in 313 AD which paved the way for Christians to infiltrate Rome until Christianity was declared
as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD by Emperor Theodosius.
Way back in 45 AD, the first apostle who went to Rome and started the Church there was no other than Peter.
Later, reflecting on the mission of Jesus which He passed on to the Church, the Church’s official “name” or title evolved
into: One (John 17:21), Holy (Ephesians 1:4, 5:27, I Peter 2:9), Catholic (Matthew 28: 18-20, Acts 1:8, Gen 12: 3, John
3: 16-17) and Apostolic (Ephesians 2:20)

From the Church developed the Hierarchy (Bishops, priests, and deacons – with the Pope as the overall head for
the sake of division of work and maintaining the unity of the Church while it spreads the Kingdom of God on earth.

From the Church comes the different “kinds” of priests according to spirituality or mission area.

a. Diocesan is a term use for priests serving their local places;

b. Monks: started in the 3rd century AD in Egypt and in Syria with a life of simplicity or asceticism.
Monks who are composed of sisters (not priests) only came out later. Example of few monks in Cagayan who are sisters
are those at the St. Claire monastery in Iguig
c. Missionaries are group/community of priests who really want to go to serve remote places not yet
evangelize. Examples of missionaries are the following:
c.1. The Dominicans who was founded by St. Dominic in Prouille, France in 1216. (Dominic was a Spanish priest).
c.2. The Augustinians which started in 1244 in Italy (group or no specific founder).
c.3. The Jesuits or called Society of Jesus who was founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola, formerly a Spanish soldier
who became priest.
c.4. The CICM and other missionary groups only came out later.
The CICM was founded by a diocesan priest Theophile Verbist in 1862 in Scheut, Anderlecht, Brussels,
Belgium.
So what is a CICM? It is just one of the missionary groups which is an arm of the Church for evangelization.

One of the strategies for missionaries to evangelize people especially the youth to prepare them to become also
evangelizers in the future is to establish schools. With this, the missionary schools and even in the schools established by
the local Church, the core of the curriculum is the Christian Faith Education of the young (children to college). In a wider
sense, the Christian formation of the Community who are in the school. The CICM established schools for such purpose.
Here at the University of Saint Louis, our motto for us to always remember this is “Mission and Excellence” and among
the core values of our University’s Vision-Mission, the first is Christian Living.
CICM
-Philippines School Network: Vision-Mission

At the initiative of the Father,

Sent by the Son,
Guided by the Spirit,

Inspired by Theophile Verbist our founder,

Who heard the call of the Lord
And left his country
To proclaim the Good News in China,

Enlightened by those who preceded us

And who – like our founder-
Left their familiar surroundings
To follow Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word
By integrating themselves into a foreign culture,
And by living in solidarity with another people,

Enriched by those we serve,

Especially the poor who reveals to us
the sin of the world
And who help us discover the true meaning
Of God’s plan of love,

We CICM missionaries
Of different races and cultures
Live and work together as brothers
In order to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ
Wherever it is most needed.

We achieve our mission

When we facilitate
The encounter between Jesus Christ and the ‘nations’.

Our mission includes

Enabling people
To experience the coming of the Kingdom
-proclaimed by Jesus Christ-
PRELIMS WEEK 2
GOD’S JOURNEY WITH HIS PEOPLE

Introduction to Sacred Scriptures

The Formation of the Bible
The Bible did not come out as a book/compiled from the beginning. The process was God’s revelation to people,
oral tradition by which the people preached and passed it to the next generations, and the writing stage.
The whole Bible was written over a period of more than 1000 years. From about 1000 BC (OT) to about 100 AD
(NT).

Crucial Events that led to the Formation of the Bible

1. The Call of Abraham: The call of Abraham (Gen 12:1-3) marked the very beginning of God’s historical
intervention in the lives of humans to bring them back to His fold, since they have been going astray. This was the
actual start of God’s mission of bringing Salvation (total well-being, true meaning of life) to humanity. God made
a covenant with Abraham (Gen. 17:7-8) which will be followed up by the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham
being formed into one nation who will live the covenant and statutes of God.
2. The Exodus and the Covenant at Mt. Sinai: This event speaks about God’s direct intervention in liberating the
Israelites from their slavery in Egypt through Moses and the giving of the Decalogue or 10 Commandments at Mt.
Sinai. The 10 Commandments made God’s intention clearer, to free or to save people from going astray using the
Israelites, His chosen people as starting point.
3. The Establishment of the Kingdom: With the Kingship of David, the kingdom of Israel was finally established.
This was the most prosperous and peaceful time for the Israelites. So, David became the model king for the
Israelites. This was made possible because of his faithfulness to God.
Despite the exemplary kingship of David, the succeeding kings failed to emulate or even just to sustain, it
led to the unfaithfulness of the Israelites. This unfaithfulness came in the form of idolatry or believing and worshipping
other gods, and even oppressing their poor co-Israelites. God will again intervene by sending the prophets to remind them
their covenant with God which they should be faithful to. The prophets will only write their messages usually at their old
age if not, by their “disciples.” Despite the coming out of the prophets the situation even became worst which will lead to
their exile.
4. The Babylonian Exile (587 BC): With the unfaithfulness of the Israelites, God allowed them to be conquered by
other countries until their exile in Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonians burned Jerusalem and the
temple and exiled all the rich and proud Israelites in Babylon and made them their slaves. This experience in
Babylonian exile made the Israelites realize their unfaithfulness and their being unjust to the poor and decided to
remorse and return back to God. This was the time that they wrote some of their concept about God such as the
Creation Story and others which was usually passed orally. So, they started to worship God in small groups in
small places which will be called Synagogue by praying and studying the Torah (commandments).
King Cyrus of Persia defeated Babylon and freed the Israelites and later allowed them to go back to Israel in 538
BC with the guidance of the prophets Ezra and Nehemiah.
Later when there will be no more prophets, Israel tried to look for other guidance for a meaningful life and so this
was the time they have written their wisdom books.
5. The Jesus Event: Jesus is the perfect embodiment of God’s mission. The same process with that of the Old
Testament, that there was Jesus who personally worked for the kingdom, later the apostles will continue Jesus’
mission by preaching (oral tradition) and at their old age will be the writing.
The evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) wrote their gospels at the second half of the 1 st century
A.D (50-100 AD) which was the stage of the early Church. Aside from the Gospels, the other books of the New
Testament such as the Pauline letters and other Epistles were written at this era and even later.
The Catholic Church (recall the evolution of the Church from The Way to Becoming One Holy Catholic
and Apostolic in week 1 topic) started to compile all the books which they believe to be inspired by the Holy Spirit from
the time of Prophets until after the Jesus’ event which they will call BIBLE. The first compilation was in 360 AD, another
was in 382 AD, and another in 1441 AD and the final was in 1545 by the Council of Trent or meeting of the Church in
Trent. The compiled books of the Bible since 360 AD were all 73. 46 books of the Old Testament which includes the 7
Deutero-canonical and 27 books of the New Testament. The Church carefully discerned the canon/books of the sacred
scriptures. It was Tertulian (200 AD) who introduced the “Old Testament” for the Jewish/Israelites Scriptures and “New
Testament” for the Christian Scriptures. (From the very beginning there were no protestant churches yet since they started
emerging in the 16th century and they will later follow the Canon of the Israelites who did not accept the Seven Deutero-
canonical books as inspired by the Holy Spirit.)
The Israelites who did not acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah and stick to their Old Testament beliefs and practices
called their religion Judaism in 70 A.D. They only finalized the compilation/canon of their sacred scriptures (which were
Old Testament books) around 930-1009 AD. They called their canon of Sacred Scriptures TaNaK which stands for Torah
(Law/Pentateuch), Nevi’im (Prophets/Prophetic books), Ketuvi’m (Writings/wisdom books). The TaNaK is composed of
24 books. In their counting it is 24 but if you count their books individually it is actually 39. They only have 39 books
since they did not include the 7 Deutero-canonical books. This counting of the books of the Old Testament will be the
basis of the Protestants (who only emerged in the 16th century) when they had their version of the Bible.

BIBLE

Names Used for the Bible

The bible has a lot of characteristics given mainly by the ancient people. Thus, the existence of its other names:
Holy Scriptures:
The bible is also called Holy Scriptures which was taken from the Latin scriptus, meaning “written” and
Greek graphe, Hebrew (mikra), the word refers to religious writings that are considered authoritative,
foundational, and/or sacred by some religious groups.
Holy Writ:
“Writ” literally means something that is written, the Bible is also called Holy Writ because it contains salvation history
that started with the call of Abraham and climaxed with Jesus’ Paschal Mystery.
The Word of God: The Greek term used is logos, which means “a word as embodying a concept or discourse.” It is also
used of the “revelation of God’s word.”
The Oracles of God: This name is used in Rom. 3:2 and Acts 7:38 where it is translated as oracles. For Christians, the
whole Bible can be called “The Oracles of God because it contains God’s divine utterance for humanity.
The Law (Torah): The Jews call their Scriptures as Torah or Law, because the whole of the Old Testament is
authoritative as God’s Word of instructions to humanity on how to live well as human beings
The Law and the Prophets: This name looks at the Old Testament from the perspective of its divisions (which will be
discussed to you as we move towards learning) -the law, the prophets and the writings.

BIBLICAL INSPIRATION

The human authors were chosen by God, inspired by the Holy Spirit/directed by divine presence to write the
truth about our Salvation or in short called Salvific Truth. The Holy Spirit acted in and through the author’s own natural
powers and abilities, God did not dictate what to write, but the Holy Spirit made sure that in their choice of words and
forms of expression they were conveying the message of God.
Therefore, the Holy Spirit is the principal author of Sacred Scriptures (CCC 304), but the message God
wanted is embedded in human language that corresponds to the intention of the author.
INERRANCY OF THE BIBLE
Since the Bible is not a scientific book, not even a pure historical one, there might be errors in it such as; spelling,
grammar, structure and worldview, but in terms of its salvific message which is the truth about our salvation it has no
error. Why? Because it is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
LANGUAGES OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES
Except for the Deutero-canonical books whose original manuscripts did not survive, all the Old Testament scrolls
were originally written in Hebrew which is one of the ancient languages of the Israelites. The New Testament books were
all written in Greek.
 PRELIM WEEK 3 CODE A13: CFED 1013

BIBLICAL CANON
Explanation of Terms

Etymologically the word Canon comes from Latin ‘Canon’ which is a translation of Greek word, derived from Hebrew,
meaning bar or rod used for measuring. As a tool for measuring, like a ruler or T-square it is used as a basis to draw a
straight line. Symbolically the word canon is applied as norm or standard in proclaiming an official teaching of the
Church. Adopted with Christian importance the word was used in the Canon of Saints, Canon of the Mass, and Canon of
the Bible. These examples suggest that there are official contents which we must observe as standard, thus, outside these
lists, invalidates its connection to the Church’s teachings.
We are now ready to define the term Biblical Canon.

It is a collection or a list of books which the Church receives as divinely inspired and which she considers as norm of faith
and morals. We say that the Bible is a library--- books within a book. Librarians must make an account of all the books
which the library had acquired. Like a librarian, the Church takes into account the list of books to be treated as the official
roster which we should uphold as divinely inspired. Thus, the Church has the authority to approve and reject a book to be
included in the Scriptures.
With these in mind, let us look at the relationship of Biblical Inspiration and Biblical Canon. Inspiration is the
work of the Holy Spirit while canonicity is the work of the Church. Inspiration is simultaneous with the composition since
the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors. Canon of the Bible simply means the Church just collected and compiled into
one the books which passed the criteria as being inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Church recognizes this book as the Word
of God for our Salvation. As sacred and inspired, it becomes Canonical.
The Catholic Church recognizes two groups of Canonical Books--- Protocanonical and Deuterocanonical
Books.
Proto is a Greek word which means first. Protocanonical Books belong to the first collection of books (Canon) of which
the Church had no difficulty in accepting their inspired character. They easily passed the criteria as being inspired by
the Holy Spirit. These are the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament.
Deutero is also a Greek word, meaning second. Deuterocanonical Books belong to the second canon. These books were
carefully discerned and even disputed before being accepted by the Church as inspired.
The Deuterocanonical Books are the books of Judith, Tobit, Baruch, Wisdom, Sirach, 1 Maccabees and 2
Maccabees. Moreover, there are some books which came out after the death of the Apostles which are not inspired. These
books are called Apocryphal Books. The word apokriptus in Greek means hidden. Thus, in order for the readers not to be
misled with the teachings of the uninspired books, the Church invalidates its credibility as a norm of faith and morals.
In order not to be confused with the Bible editions that we have today, it is also good to know that the Protestants who
only came out later in the 16th Century followed the Jewish groups who did not recognize the Deuterocanonical Books as
inspired. So, in order to know if our Bible is a Catholic one, we look at its list if the Deuterocanonical Books are included.
Events that support the inclusion of the 7 Deutero-Canonical books

1. Septuagint or LXX: This was a Greek translation of the Old Testament by 72 Jewish Scholars in Egypt upon the
request of King Ptolemy Philadelphus around 300-200 BC. The Jewish scholars translated their scriptures from
Hebrew to Greek and they came out with 46 copies (OT). This means that the 7 deutero-canonical books had their
original bases but these copies may have been destroyed or were not preserved. This Septuagint version of the Old
Testament was also used by the Apostles.

2. Dead Sea Scrolls: This event had happened after the Canon of the Bible was finalized, but greatly proves that the
inclusion of the 7 deutero-canonical books in the Bible is correct. Between the years 1947 and 1956 they discovered
scrolls in eleven caves along the Northwest shore of the Dead Sea which were ancient copies of all the 46 Old Testament
books, these copies were most likely written by the Essenes around 200 BC.
The canon of Scriptures is divided into the books written before Jesus’ life (Old Testament) and those written after (New
Testament). Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church determined the inspired and normative New Testament 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.
 CFED
WEEK 4
Abraham and the Patriarchs
Introduction:

In week 1 we had a general overview on how God journeys with his people. This initiative of God to journey with His
people is our Salvation History. As a manifestation that God loves us so much, He made his presence felt through many
ways. The fullness of this presence was when the Word became flesh---God becoming human. Our encounter with Him
will find its completeness when we will fully experience the Kingdom. In relation to our present life, there are traces of
God’s really intervening in human history for us to always remember the great destiny which He planned for all people.
This Chapter will discuss the Patriarchs, the foundation of God’s people whom God will use as instruments to start
journeying with His people.
The Patriarchs

For us to understand the importance of the Patriarchs in the history of the Israelites or in modern term called
Jewish people, let us make a glimpse of the stories before the calling of the first Patriarch--- Abraham. These stories are
called “reconstructed history” by some Biblical experts.

Stories in the Old Testament revolve with the cycle of sin-curse-

blessing/restoration. When Adam and Eve committed the sin of pride and
disobedience, they became conscious and were ashamed that they are naked. In
Genesis 3, the curse or punishment was given by God in verse 16 and 17, such
as pain in child bearing, making man till the soil before reaping its fruits, and
death as the consequence of the sin they have committed. As a blessing, towards
the end, God did not allow them to be naked, he made garments of skins and
clothed them.

Same cycle is also applied in the story of the children of Adam and Eve-
-- Cain and Abel. In Genesis 4, Cain out of jealousy murdered his brother Abel,
who was a more favored son because of his best offering to God. Clearly, in this
story sin was present in the act of killing and the feeling of jealousy by Cain.
After which the punishment was when the Lord said’ “…and now you are
cursed from the ground…When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield you
its produce; you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on earth.”(Gen 4, 11-12
RSV) Cain was fearful of becoming a fugitive and wanderer and said “My punishment is greater than I can bear… you
have driven me … and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will slay me.”(Gen 4, 13-
14) However, as a response on the fear of Cain, the Lord answered, “Not so! If anyone slays Cain, vengeance shall be
taken on him seven-fold. And then the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest anyone who came upon him should kill him.”
(Genesis 4, 15) Even though the Lord cursed him to be a fugitive and wanderer, yet the blessing came when He promised
that Cain will never be killed.

The pattern is also the same in the Story of Noah in Genesis 6. The wickedness of mankind made God plan to wipe
out all people on earth. As a symbol for cleansing, the great flood was the punishment. However, Noah was presented as
the blessing when he builds the ark to save them from the flood. After the flood subsided, there was only one nation under
the descendants of Noah.

When people grew in number sin comes into the fore again in the story of the tower of Babel. The building of the
tower of Babel was a desire to have fame so that their names will spread throughout all the earth and the next generation
instead of that of God (Genesis 11:4). It was also a sin of disobedience since they did not spread throughout all the earth
as God commanded their forefathers.
Their desire to be the ones to be glorified instead of God was shattered when the Lord differentiated their languages.
Thus, they really were scattered on earth as God planned for people.
The cycle in the stories before the calling of the Patriarchs presents the people’s act of always turning away from
God despite God’s act of always restoring them. This act of committing sin was continuous from the forefathers to the
next generations. This will lead to God’s calling the first Patriarch Abraham to start journeying with His people.
Meanwhile the continuity of sin is what we call “original sin”. Why original? Because it is not local (joke only).
Original sin does not mean that we inherited the sins committed by our forefathers but what we inherited is the weak
human nature which has the tendency to commit sin. In tagalog, this is called “kahinaan ng tao”. This is the reason why
some of us when we are accused of committing mistake would answer by saying “tao lang”. Water or the flood as a sign
of cleansing in the story of Noah will come to us in the water of Baptism which will remove our original sin and so we are
also marked as God’s people. So, with our Baptism, we hope that we overcome that weakness of being “tao” will live out
our nature as the image of God. This means that if God is good, we should also be good, if God is just, we should also be
just, and so on and so forth. You can enumerate a lot of God’s traits which we should live being his image such as loving,
caring, compassionate, etc.
With the continuity of sin or people always turning away from God, comes the calling of Abraham in Genesis 12.
How will Abraham become a blessing? Who is Abraham? What is his role in the life of the people of God and in God’s
plan for all people?
Genesis 12:1-3: The Call of Abraham.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will
show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a
blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth
shall bless themselves.”[a]
4
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed
from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions which they had
gathered, and the persons that they had gotten in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had
come to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak [b] of Moreh. At that time
the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.”
So, he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared
to him.

Let us analyze the words of God to Abram in Genesis

12:1-4. What are the three things that God promised to
Abraham? Among those three promises, which one is
clearly telling us that God calling Abraham was just the
beginning of His plan to give salvation to humanity?
Obviously, the first promise was the land which is
Canaan as found in Genesis 12:5. For the second promise
which Abram did not immediately believe was the son
since he had no heir with Sarai. How can Abram become
a great nation if he will not have children or even a son?
The third promise which may also be very remote for
Abram was God’s plan to save or journey with His people starting with Abram and his descendants who will be the
Israelites. This third promise was greatly implied in Genesis 12: 4, when God said, “all the families of the earth will find
blessing in you.”
God’s covenant with Abraham

With the plan of God for all people as greatly implied in the calling of Abraham, there are series of events that will
slowly give signs on how it will be carried out starting with Abraham. With the promises of land and a son to Abram, the
next would be the changing of their names and the circumcision (Genesis 17:1-22). Circumcision is a sign of cleanliness
and holiness, which means that one must walk blameless with God. The changing of names has a deep and greater
implication. In Genesis 17:5, 15, God will change the names of Abram and Sarai into Abraham and Sarah. Change of
names in the Bible greatly implies the change that the person must undergo, and the name greatly signifies one’s mission
that he will carry out. One good example of this is the name “Jesus” which means
savior (Matthew 1:21). With this, Abraham’s mission was to become the “father of a
multitude of nations”.

How will Abraham become the “father of a multitude of nations”? Biologically,

Abraham was the father of the Hebrew nation only or the Israelites. How can we call
Abraham our father? As said in Genesis 12:3, how can we gain blessing through
Abraham? With this, we must ask the question, what was really the covenant
between God and Abraham in its fullest sense? In Genesis 17:7- 8, it is greatly
implied that God will slowly introduce Himself as the God not only of Abraham but
even his descendants. So, the covenant was “I will be your/their God. While
Abraham and his descendants were the only ones being mention here, we need to go
back to the wider context of God’s words to Abraham which was “all the families of
the earth will find blessing in you.” Back to the question, how will Abraham become the “father of a multitude of nations”
or how can we call Abraham our father? The people descended from Abraham would be the trustee, the chosen people,
called to prepare for that day when God will gather all his children into unity. They would be the root onto which the
gentiles would be grafted, once they come to believe. So, what would connect us with Abraham? It is our faith in the God
(YHWH) who called Abraham and the patriarchs. So, Abraham is not our biological father, but he is our father of faith.
This is why we hear many people singing “father Abraham has many children, and I am one of them…” Still, we have to
ask the question of how will God bless all the families of the earth through Abraham? Who is the person from the lineage
of Abraham who will bless all the families on earth? Going back to the background of the calling of the patriarchs, it was
because of the people continuously committing sin. So, it is now very clear that the person who will bless us all is no other
than the Savior, the Word or the promise of God who became flesh. It is now clear that Abraham is our father of faith.

Readers may be troubled by God's choice of Abram. Is Abram somehow special, or better, or more religious than other
people? Again, God called people not because they are perfect or holy, but God would intervene and comes to our rescue
because of our sinfulness. Abraham’s faith was tested many times when he questioned his being childless, but again, this
is where God’s power and love would work. The ultimate test of his faith was when God asked him to offer his only son
Isaac which was just a proof that Abraham now would fully trust God after all his encounters with Him. So, with faith in
God, His grace will overcome our human weaknesses.

Conclusion

The Story of Abraham is the actual starting point of God bringing salvation to humanity although this has been
planned since when the first persons committed sin (Gen. 3:15). Abraham became the father of the Israelites whom God
will continue to use as instruments in spreading His Love / salvation for all. From the Israelites would come the peak of
God’s promise to give blessing to all the families on earth.
The Next Patriarchs

The major theme of Genesis 12-50 is how God overcomes

obstacles in order to keep His covenant and the promises
that goes with it. From Abraham to the next patriarchs
until their formation as God’s chosen people, God would
sustain His covenant with them. He was a God who really
journeyed with them.
 After Abraham, the next patriarchs would be his son Isaac, who is the father of Jacob and his twelve sons who
would become the founders/fathers of the Israelites until they will be formed as one nation. Among the sons of Jacob, the
one who would become famous since he was God’s instrument for saving Jacob’s family from the great famine would be
Joseph.

The story of Joseph going first to Egypt could not also be understood by many until its peak which was his
becoming the acting pharaoh of Egypt who will eventually rescue his family when the great famine even affected Canaan
where his parents and brothers lived.
Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob. He was considered the favorite son of Jacob and was a dreamer and an interpreter
of dreams. One of his dreams when he was young was that the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to
him. His brothers were so envious that they tried to kill him but later decided to sell him. They sold him to the
Ishmaelites, but the Midianites traders pulled and took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar who was a courtier and
chief steward of the Pharaoh. By the way, the term “Pharaoh” is a “title” for the king of Egypt. Joseph’s refusal to have an
affair with the wife of Potiphar who reversed the story sent Joseph to the prison cell.
Despite the hardships in Egypt his name became great because of his interpretation of the Pharaoh’s dream. This
will eventually promote him to become the governor or the acting Pharaoh of Egypt. Pharaoh’s dream was about a great
famine who would come after years of good harvest.
The famine for which the Egyptian greatly prepared for with the leadership of Joseph did not only

affect Egypt but even Canaan where Jacob’s family was. With such great crisis in food, Jacob asked his sons to go to
Egypt to buy food which will lead to their discovery of Joseph who will eventually let them settle in Egypt.
In the stories of the next patriarchs, God would always remind that He is the God of their forefathers and would
always sustain His covenant with them.
 PRELIMS WEEK 5
GOD’S JOURNEY WITH HIS PEOPLE

Week 5: The Call of Moses

Hello beautiful people! Welcome to the week 5 of our journey, at this point let us continue to study a concise history of
the Chosen People of God in the Torah. The identity of the Israelites started from the calling of Abraham, the first
patriarch. Patriarch means father of a family, tribe or of a nation. In the context of the Israelites patriarchs would strictly
refer to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who was also named Israel when he encountered an angel. The twelve sons of
Jacob/Israel may also be included as patriarchs in a wider context as they were part of the foundations of the Israelites
when they will grow as a nation.
The increase of the Israelites in number and growth as a nation started in Egypt when they settled there during the
great famine which affected Canaan, the place of the first patriarchs. The death of Joseph and the pharaohs who knew him
and the Israelites would change the condition of the Israelites in Egypt. Pharaoh by the way is a title of a king in Egypt
just like an emperor in Rome or a president in a republic.

The new pharaoh who did not know anything about Joseph and the great things he did for Egypt would have a
negative suspicion with the growing number of the Israelites in Egypt. He would suspect that these Israelites might take
over and rule Egypt in the future. With this suspect in mind, he would make a drastic move to stop the growth of the
Israelites in number by killing all the male infants/babies of the Israelites and making the male Israelites slaves. This
scene will lead us to the story of the Prophet Moses.

Moses, the greatest prophet in the history of the Israelites

Why is Moses so important in the life of the Israelites? Let us take a journey of what had happened during the Egyptian
persecution and how God will rescue His people.

The story of the prophet Moses is common to most Christians and is so important for the
Israelites. As an infant, he was rescued by no other than the princess, who was the daughter of
the Pharaoh who ordered the killing of the male babies of the Israelites. Consequently, Moses
grew in the palace of the Pharaoh as a prince. Despite growing in the palace, Moses knew very
well that he was an Israelite. Moses was so upset with the condition of his co-Israelites who
being slaves were also maltreated by most Egyptians. With this, he did something bad in the eyes
of the Egyptians and the Pharaoh. He had to run away for his life and fled to a place called
Midian. He met Jethro and later married Zipporah, one of the daughters of Jethro.

The Calling of Moses

3 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Mid′ian; and he led his flock to the
west side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in
a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and lo, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3
And Moses said, “I will turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” 4 When the Lord saw that he
turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here am I.” 5 Then he said,
“Do not come near; put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6
And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And
Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
7Then the Lord said, “I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of
their taskmasters; I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the
Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a
land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Per′izzites, the
Hivites, and the Jeb′usites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have seen the
oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring forth
my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and
bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you, that I
have sent you: when you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God upon this mountain.”
God called Moses at the time when Moses has chosen the paths of a father and a shepherd of sheep. He does this in the
desert where Moses apparently isolated himself from the misfortunes of his people. This calling of Moses marks the
beginning of God’s direct intervention in the history of the Israelites. God asked Moses to return to Egypt to deliver the
Israelites out from their slavery.

Who is this God who called Moses? How did He introduce Himself to Moses and why does this God intervene in
the situation/life of the Israelites in Egypt? Let us analyze some words or verses in the calling of Moses. First, God asked
Moses to remove his sandals and staff since the ground where he stood is holy. Therefore, this God is a Holy God. This
God deserves the highest respect from anyone. Even the ground or place where God called Moses is considered holy.
This is one of the bases of the practice of the Catholic Church of respecting holy place, things, and other matters that God
uses as an instrument in communicating with His people. This also tells us that anything, or person or other matters that
God uses as instruments is holy.
The holiness of God radiates to these instruments or medium. The presence of God or His grace will convert the person to
become holy. This is why most theologians would say “God does not call the qualified, but He qualifies the ones whom
He will call for a mission”. Moses even had to hide his face, knowing that looking at God could cost him his life (v. 5). In
the beliefs of the Israelites, one is not worthy to see God, that is why they must cover their face whenever they encounter
God “face to face”. Second, God said, He saw the sufferings of His people in Egypt and heard their cry. This means that
this God is a Compassionate God. God’s intention to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage is not only motivated
by His holiness, but also by His compassion for them in the midst of their affliction. Third, why did God say “my people”
referring to the Israelites in verse 7? How did the Israelites become people of God? This reminds us of the covenant that
God made with their forefather Abraham when he told him that he will become a father of multitude and He will be their
God. Here we can see the very reason why God called Moses; that this God is a very FAITHFUL God. He is faithful to
His covenant with Abraham, which He
sustained with Isaac, with Jacob, until the formation of the
Israelites, His chosen people. This was very clear when
God introduced Himself to Moses as the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, that there is a covenant and the promise
attached with it that God is maintaining. In a wider context,
that God’s plan to bring salvation to humanity beginning
with the Israelites has to be fulfilled.
If we continue reading the call of Moses, he also asked the
name of this God, and God said “I AM” / YHWH. For
many Biblical experts, this “YHWH” or “I AM” is not
really a name. This is because in the strict sense, God has
no name since giving a name to God would put
limitations on Him.
The two great implications of this “name” YHWH/I AM
are: first, God is here, God is Alive, or this God is a living God. This means that this God/YHWH is existing; it is not just
an imagination or a wish. Second, “I AM” means I am here, and I will be with you or will accompany you. This
assurance of God’s presence to those whom He will send for the mission will be God’s consistent word to the next
prophets until the Apostles (Matthew 28:19-20) that God called and will send for the mission. One important question in
the events before the calling of Moses was, why did Moses grow in the palace of the pharaoh? Aside from being saved
from the killing of
the male babies, Moses grew in the palace for him to be prepared as a leader in the future; to lead the Israelites out from
Egyptian bondage to be formed as God’s chosen people.

What will be the role of Moses as a leader for the Israelites and what will be the source of his strength as a leader?
Moses will be the “mouth” of God for the Israelites and he will be God’s spoke person to Pharaoh when he will convince
the Pharaoh to free the Israelites. Moses’ strength or source of authority will be God whom he represents and who is
accompanying him. This was clear during his calling when God said, “I will be with you” when Moses was so hesitant to
go to Pharaoh. With this, it is very clear that when God calls someone for a mission, God will accompany him. God will
always accompany someone or people He will send for a mission. This is like the case of our priests or ministers and
missionaries. These people that God called are not doing their personal mission, but they are performing God’s mission.
They personify God in their mission areas. On the part of a prophet or a missionary, it is also very important that they
should always have God’s presence with them which is done through a constant conversation or closeness with
God. This will be the case when Moses later will withdraw to a mountain to have a communion with God. In our present
situation, this will be done through constant prayer, recollections and retreat if longer period.
 Midterm Week 1
THE PASSOVER AND THE EXODUS

As the story goes, God produced miracles of ten plagues in Egypt due to the stubbornness of the Pharaoh. The plagues
came one after another which caused harm and even death. Pharaoh was not easily convinced until the tenth plague.
Even before the ten plagues, Moses and his brother Aaron, performed a miracle in front of the Pharaoh but he was not
impressed since his magicians could produce the same trick. With that, the plagues had to start. Let us review the series
of the Ten Plagues.

Disasters Strike Egypt (The 10 Plagues)

BLOOD
Then say to the king, “The Lord, God of the Hebrews, sent me to tell you to let his people go, so that they can worship
him in the desert…. Look, I am going to strike the surface of the river with this stick, and the water will be turned into
blood. The fish will die and the river will stink so much that the Egyptians will not be able to drink from it…. There was
blood everywhere in Egypt, then the king’s magicians did the same thing by means of their magic, and the king was
stubborn as ever.

FROG
“Go to the king and tell him that the Lord says, ‘Let my people go, so that they can worship me. If you refuse, I will
punish your country by covering it with frogs.. They will jump up on you, your people and all your officials.”… So
Aaron held it out over all the water, and the frogs came out and covered the land. But the magicians used magic, and
they also made frogs come up on the land. Then Moses and Aaron left the king, and Moses prayed to the Lord to take
away the frogs which he had brought on the King. When the king saw that the frogs were dead, he became stubborn
again….

GNATS
So, Aaron struck the ground with his stick and all the dust in Egypt was turned into gnats, which covered the people and
the animals. The magicians tried to use their magicians and said to the king, “God has done this!” But the king was
stubborn and just as the Lord had said, the king would not listen to Moses and Aaron.

FLIES
“…tell him that the Lord says, ‘Let my people go, so that they can worship me. I warn you that if you refuse, I will
punish you my sending flies on you, your officials, and your people...” The Lord sent great swarms of flies into the
king’s palace and the houses of his officials. The whole land of Egypt was brought to ruin by the flies. The king said, “I
will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord, your God, in the desert if you do not go very far. Pray for me...” Moses left the
king and prayed to the Lord. The flies left the king, his officials, and his people; not one fly remained. But even this
time, the king became stubborn, and again he would not let the people go.

DEATH OF THE ANIMALS/PESTILENCE

“Go to the king and tell him that the Lord, God of the Hebrews, says, ‘Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If
you again refuse to let them go, I will punish you by sending a terrible disease on all your animals … The next day, the
Lord did as what he said, and all the animals of the Egyptians died, but not of the animals of the Israelites died. The king
asked what had happened and was told that none of the animals of the Israelites had died. But he was stubborn and
would not let the people go.

HAIL
.. the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says, ‘Let my people go, so that they may worship me. This time I will punish not
only your people, but I will punish you as well, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the
world. ..tomorrow I will cause a heavy hailstorm, such as Egypt has never known in all its history. Hail will fall on the
people and animals left outside unprotected, and they will all die.’ “The king sent for Moses and Aaron and said, “This
time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and my people and I are in the wrong. Pray to the Lord! We have had enough
of this thunder and hail! I promised to let you go; you don’t have to stay here any longer.” When the king saw what had
happen, he sinned again. He and his officials remained as stubborn as ever and just as the Lord had foretold through
Moses, the king would not let the Israelites go.

BOILS
So, they got some ashes and stood before the king; Moses threw them into the air, and they produced boils that became
open sores on the people and the animals. The magicians were not able to appear before Moses, because they were
covered with boils, like all the other Egyptians. But the Lord made the king stubborn and, just as the Lord and had said,
the king would not listen to Moses and Aaron.

LOCUSTS
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the land of Egypt to bring the locusts. They will come and eat
everything that grows, everything that has survived the hail.” …By morning it had brought the locusts. They came in
swarms and settled over the whole country. It was the largest swarm of locusts that had ever been seen or that ever
would be seen again. Then the king hurriedly called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your
God and against you... pray to the Lord your God to take away this fatal punishment from me. Moses left the king and
prayed to the Lord. And the Lord changed the east wind into a very strong west wind, which picked up the locusts and
blew them into the Gulf of Suez. Not one locust was left in all of Egypt. But the Lord made the king stubborn, and he did
not let the Israelites go.

DARKNESS
Moses raised his hand toward the sky, and there was total darkness throughout Egypt for three days. The Egyptians
could not see each other, and no one left his house during that time. But the Israelites had light where they were living.
The king called Moses and said, “You may go and worship the Lord; even your women and children may go with you.
The Lord made the king stubborn, and he would not let them go.

SACRIFICE / BURNT OFFERING

After the Pass Over Meal and the Israelites entered their houses and locked their doors, then the 10th plague came.
DEATH OF THE NEW FIRST-BORN
At midnight the Lord killed all the first-born sons in Egypt and all the first-born of their animals. There was loud crying
throughout the Egypt, because there was not one at home in which there was not a dead son. That same night, the king
sent for Moses and Aaron and said, “Get out, you and your Israelites! Leave my country, go and worship the Lord, as
you asked. Take your sheep, goats, cattle and leave. Also pray for a blessing. The Egyptians urged the people to hurry
and leave the country; they said, “We will all be dead if you don't leave. So the people filled their baking pans with the
unleavened dough, wrap them in clothing, and carried them on their shoulders. The Israelites had done as Moses had said
and had asked the Egyptians for gold and silver jewelry and for clothes. The Lord made the Egyptians respect the people
and give them what they asked for. In this way the Israelites carried away the wealth of the Egyptians.

If you recall, the name of the Pharaoh during the time of Moses was Rameses. This name has its meaning. “Ra”
means son, and “Ses” means sun. Therefore, for them the Pharaoh is the son of the god of the sun. For the Pharaoh, it
was so difficult to accept that there is another God. So, who is really the true God? The problem with him was his
stubbornness despite all the signs that the God YHWH was giving. So, the plague was imminent.

After the 10th plague, the Pharaoh conceded and allowed the Israelites to go. Finally, the Israelites had their exodus
from Egypt. The exodus of the Israelites will be culminated by their crossing of the red/reed sea since the Pharaoh
changed his mind and pursued the them with his soldiers who were all drawn when they also tried to cross the red sea.
This is where the Israelites saw and experienced that it was really God/YHWH who freed them from Egypt and
protected them along the way from the Egyptian soldiers who were pursuing them.

THE PASSOVER as the Most Important Feast of the Israelites

Passover and Exodus are two events which are closely related with each other. The Passover meal always reminds the
Israelites on the day that God freed them from their slavery in Egypt. Exodus means departure; that after the Pharaoh
conceded, the Israelites started their departure/exodus from Egypt going to the land that God promised to their
forefathers. The Israelites celebrates the feast of the Passover every year. It is their “Independence Day” with the help of
the God YHWH. Later, when they will settle in the promised land, they will celebrate this in the temple in Jerusalem
with the rituals of slaughtering a paschal (Passover) lambs in the temple; and the consumption of its meat in a domestic
meal. This feast is called “Pesah” in their language which is Hebrew.
 Midterm Week 2
THE COVENANT AT MT. SINAI: THE FIRST THREE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD

First Three Commandments Call Us to Right Relation with God

The first three of the Ten Commandments point to the primacy of God
in our lives, summed up by Jesus as He quotes the central teaching of the
Hebrew Scriptures, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

Since God the Father created and sustains us, Jesus saves and
forgives us, and the Holy Spirit is dwelling within us, our love relationship
with the Lord is our origin, our purpose and our destiny. God has an absolute
claim on us as His adopted children and we will only discover joy, peace, love
and eternal life in union with Him.

Throughout the history of Israel, the people periodically abandoned God-YHWH and turned to idols. The clearest
example of this occurred in Exodus Chapter 32 when Moses was on Mount Sinai, speaking to the Lord and receiving the
Ten Commandments. The people below became impatient waiting for Moses and under Aaron’s leadership, they made
and worshipped a golden calf, created from their own jewelry. With God’s plan of molding them as His chosen people
whom He will also use in starting to carry out His plan of salvation for humanity, He will give the Ten Commandments
as their fundamental norms or rules for their lives.

MOSES RECEIVES THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

After leaving Egypt, the Israelites reached the Sinai Desert. They spend two days preparing to meet God at the
‘mountain of God’.
On the third day, Moses receives the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai (near to where God appeared to Moses
in the burning bush – see Exodus 3:1).

The First Commandment

The First Commandments is: “I am the Lord your God: you shall not have other gods beside me.” God’s covenant
with the Israelites is clearly implied in this first commandment, that it is no longer between Him and Abraham or with the
patriarchs but now it is a covenant with the Israelites as His chosen people.
For this first commandment, there is an additional warning which says “You shall not carve idols for yourselves in
the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth. You shall not bow down
before them or worship them”. (Exodus 20: 2-4)
Obeying the First Commandment means adoring and worshipping God alone. We cannot place anything in our
lives before Him, not our material wealth, ambition, or even our relationships with others. Because God is the source of
everything we have and love; to place anything before Him also distorts our relationship with Him and also with other
people. We can keep the First Commandment through constant acts of faith, hope, and love.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE SINS OR VIOLATIONS THAT GO SPECIFICALLY AGAINST THE FIRST
COMMANDMENT:
 Idolatry – worshipping someone else or something other than God.
 Divination and Magic – putting our faith and in trust in spiritual powers that do not belong to God. This includes
putting faith in fortune-tellers or others who claim to have special magic powers.
 Tempting God – putting God’s goodness and power to the test.
 Sacrilege – the act of treating holy objects/places with disrespect.
  Simony – buying or selling the things that God offers.
 Atheism – refusing to believe in God.
 Agnosticism – not sure about God or indifferent to God.
 Syncretism – joining two opposing beliefs into one belief.
 Heresy – is a belief or action at odds with what is accepted, especially when the behavior is contrary to religious
doctrine or belief. For example, a Catholic who says God does not exist.

Clarification on the Meaning of the word idols, and the difference between worship and veneration
Idols that God prohibits in the context of the first commandment refer to anything like image/statue or even
animals, person, or object which people worship as a god. Worship is adoring or praising. The Catholic practice of
respecting sacred/holy place, sacred things like the Bible or sacred images/statue is called veneration.
The Catholic faithful do not worship these sacred things or sacred place or images, but they only respect them. They do
it by touching, even kissing which are culturally based. If you observe the priests during Holy Mass, there are only two
things that he will venerate by kissing. These are the altar since it symbolizes the Body of Christ and the Bible after he
proclaimed the Gospel; the Bible of course symbolizes the Word of God.
Some might say that this practice of veneration is not found in the Bible and there is no other thing which is holy except
God. Anything that God uses as His instrument is holy; like things, place and others. What did God tell Moses at the
burning bush? “Do not come closer and remove your sandals since the ground where you stand is holy”. (Exodus 3:5) So
here, even the ground where God appeared to Moses became holy. Another good example of this is, when Jesus got
angry with the people at the Temple in Jerusalem since they did not respect the Temple which is a holy place for the
Israelites. (Matthew 21:12-13).
Another question that some people are asking is whether having stature or image is a sin? They will again claim
that there are no statues in the Bible. Well, if you really read your Bible carefully, we can give you three examples of
statues that God made or asked the people to do. One is in Genesis 3:24, where God put a cherubim (statue of an angel)
to guard the Garden of Eden. The other good example is in Exodus 25:10- 22, when God asked the Israelites to make the
ark of the Covenant (something like a box) where He will command them to keep the Ten Commandments and put two
statues of angels on top of it. So, the Ten Commandments are guarded by two statues of angels. With these, I hope it is
now clear to us that the Church’s practice of having sacred images or statues of Jesus and the saints is not a violation of
the First Commandment. The only strong reminder for all of us is, as long as you do not worship them as gods! I hope it
is also clear that veneration which is clearly a biblical practice is not the same with worship or adoration. The Catholic
faithful are not worshipping the images of Christ and the saints but only venerating them.

he Ark of the Covenant which housed the Ten

Commandments is guarded by two images (statues) of
angels
Commands: Adoration prayer, sacrifice, honoring promises, vows
Practices: regular prayer time, offering day to God, inviting God to work in our lives, being faithful to our vows and
promises to God, helping our faith to grow by participating in the Eucharistic and other sacraments, reading, guarding
religious liberty in civil law

The Second Commandment

You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God in vain. (Exodus 20:7)
Name as we all know stands for one’s identity. This is why when your peers are making fun of your name, you
feel insulted since it is not your name, but you are the one whom they are mocking. The name really stands for the
person’s identity and even to one’s dignity. So, when you use the name of God in vain, then you are really insulting God
Himself. The Second Commandment teaches us that we love God by always using His name with great
reverence/respect. We should not to use God’s name in an improper way.
HERE ARE SOME SINS THAT GO SPECIFICALLY AGAINST THE SECOND COMMANDMENT:
BLASPHEMY
Speech, thought or action that shows disrespect to God, the Church, or persons dedicated to God.

PERJURY
 Lying under oath. If we take an oath to tell the truth and even using God as a witness “(promise to God”) but we do not fulfill it th

PROFANITY/CURSING
Uttering offensive words in anger or annoyance especially when using God’s name.

COMMANDS: Respect God’s name (sacred, holy, same as his word), for saints, holy objects, confession of faith,
promises and vows that honor God

PRACTICES: naming our children after saints, only taking oaths in grave situations (court), acting in Jesus’ name

When we come to know God through our personal experience, we respond with an ever-deepening reverence,
awe, joy and respect for the holiness, mystery and love of God. We reflect this relational stance through our
speech and actions

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH DAY. Six days you may labor and do all your work but
the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. No work may be done then either by you or your son or
daughter or your male or female slave, or your beast or by the alien who lives with you…on the seventh day God
rested… and blessed it and made it holy. (Exodus 20: 8-11)
There are two things that this commandment is conveying to the human person -- the time for God and the respect
for the human person. How does one show this respect for God and the human person? This is shown primarily
by going to worship God as one community, as His people, and by respecting others in providing their physical
bodies a time to rest.
Aside from worshipping God and resting, what are other implications of the Third Commandment? Is this done only in
the chapel or church? Some people attend the Holy Mass but after their participation, they go back to their usual lifestyle
which is often not consistent with Christian living. So aside from worshipping God in the church, do people also make
the day of the Lord holy in their homes, in their dealings with others, and in their dealings with nature? The Second
Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II) stresses that all of life is worship or the whole of life must be an act of
worship as St. Paul also pointed out in his letter to the Romans (167-168). Worship should not be separated from the
totality of life. There should be no dichotomy between the two.

VIOLATIONS AGAINST THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

The teachings of Jesus Christ are clear such that anything that does not amount to honoring God and not giving ourselves
and others a time to rest is a direct of violation of this commandment. Anything that does not glorify God and respect the
dignity of others must be avoided.

THE SHIFT OF THE SABBATH DAY FROM SATURDAY TO SUNDAY

The Israelites observed the Sabbath day on the seventh day of the week (Saturday), which marked the completion of
God’s creation of the world. For us Christians, we celebrate the Lord’s Day on Sunday, the first day of the week since it
was on that day that Jesus rose from the dead. This is why we call it the Lord’s Day. It reminds us of His Resurrection,
and how He created the whole world new! This practice of worshipping on the first day of the week was started by the
Apostles (Acts 20:7) which we followed. This is why, one of the names/titles of our Church is Apostolic. Another
implication of this is, we also give God the first day of our week. For the Israelites’ symbolism, seven (7) is a perfect
number, that is why they give it to God.

COMMANDS: observing Sunday as a day set aside for God, as a day of rest, day of prayer, Mass on Sunday and holy
days of obligation.
PRACTICES: attending mass on Sunday, spending time with family, in reading, prayer, or works of charity
As spiritual beings, we need time to feed and replenish our minds, hearts and spirits. Even in the Middle Ages, the harsh
lot of the serfs in the fields was mitigated by observance of the Church’s many holy days and feasts, sacred times when
they did not have to work. In our insomniac, workaholic, 24-7 society, maybe one of the greatest ways we can
evangelize others is to simply keep holy the Sabbath.

IMPLICATION OF THE FIRST THREE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD

These first three commandments of the Decalogue call us to right relationship with God as the source and foundation of
right relationship with others, expressed in the following seven commandments. When we truly desire and attempt to
love God with every fiber of our being, life becomes full for us and we discover joy, love and peace. God’s rules exist
only to make us happy and bring us to the glory of eternal life. The Ten Commandments serve as an infallible road map
to the Kingdom of God. But all the commandments are intertwined. For instance, you cannot love God without loving
His children—our fellow human beings. The next seven commandments act as signposts to guide our treatment of our
neighbor.

*** END of LESSON ***

 Midterm Week 3
THE FOURTH, FIFTH, AND SIXTH COMMANDMENTS OF GOD

In the first three commandments, we received the gifts of God’s self-revelation to humanity. We also learn what
constitutes a proper response to this self-revelation and thereby a proper relationship with God. The final seven
commandments are gifts that primarily reveal God’s will for us in our relationships with each other.

After the first three commandments prescribing our duties toward God comes seven others laying down our obligations
toward ourselves and our fellow human beings. There is first a special commandment regarding the important duties of
children toward their parents, and of parents toward their children. This is the fourth of the Ten Commandments. In a
general way, Commandments 5th, 6th, and 7th are concerned with actions, 8th is concerned with words and 9th and 10th are
with our desires.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives
you.” (Ex. 20:12)

The fourth commandment opens the second table of the Decalogue. It shows us the order of charity. God has willed that,
after Him, we should honor our parents to whom we owe life and who have handed on to us the knowledge of God. We
are obliged to honor and respect all those whom God, for our good, has vested with His authority. (CCC, #2197)
The fourth commandment is addressed specifically to children in their relationship with their father and mother, because
this relationship is the most foundational. It likewise concerns the ties of kinship between members of the extended
family. It requires honor, affection, and gratitude toward elders and ancestors. Finally, it extends to the duties of pupils
to teachers, employees to employers, subordinates to leaders, citizens to their country, and to those who administer or
govern it.
This commandment includes and presupposes the duties of parents, instructors, teachers, leaders, and magistrates, those
who govern, and all who exercise authority over others or over a community of persons. (CCC, #2199)

Duty of Children:
Respect for parents (filial piety) derives from gratitude toward those who, by the gift of life, their love and their work,
have brought their children into the world and enabled them to grow in stature, wisdom, and grace. "With all your heart
honor your father, and do not forget the birth pangs of your mother. Remember that through your parents you were born;
what can you give back to them that equals their gift to you?" (CCC, #2215)
As long as a child lives at home with her/his parents, the child should obey her/his parents in all that they ask of her/him
when it is for her/his good or that of the family. "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the
Lord." Children should also obey the reasonable directions of their teachers and all to whom their parents have entrusted
them. But if a child is convinced in conscience that it would be morally wrong to obey a particular order, she/he must not
do so. (CCC, #2217)

HERE ARE SOME MORTAL SINS THAT GO SPECIFICALLY AGAINST THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT:

- Serious failure to care for aged parents/Failure to carry out the last will of a deceased parent
The commandment is very clear that we are to honor our parents. That would include taking care of them in their time of
need. Our parents nurtured us during our childhood and possibly even up to our college years as well. It makes sense for
us to take care of them, and as long as their last will is not immoral, to follow that up for them.

- Serious disrespect for or disobedience to parents, superiors or authorities

We have to respect our parents. We also are to respect superiors (boss, supervisors, managers, etc.) as well as authorities
(judges, police, etc.). Again, it has to be moral. Obviously, we do not have to listen if it breaks the law, and especially if
it breaks moral law.

- Wishing death or evil on parents

We are not to wish death or evil on anybody, but most importantly to our parents.
 - Abuse or serious neglect of children
This is where some people will think it goes a little different. Yes, we are to honor our parents, but parents must also take
care of their children. It is a mortal sin for parents to abuse or seriously neglect their children since they are individuals
that God has given them to take care of. They do not belong to them forever, nor are their property. Some abuses would
be beating their own children especially treating as if they already adult ones, starving their children for lengthy period
of time. Serious neglect would also include abandonment, failure to take care of their children, and other such parenting
failures.

The Fifth Commandment

“Thou shall not kill.” (Exodus 20:13)

The “fifth word” of the Decalogue primarily reveals to us the sacredness of all human life. The human person is made in
the image and likeness of God and, therefore, has an inalienable dignity and worth. However, this sacredness rests
fundamentally on the fact that every human person is freely created by God out of love in order to share eternal life in
communion with God. In other words, the human person is sacred because the human person is both made by God and
made for God.
The Fifth Commandment prohibition against killing clearly forbids direct and intentional killing. Murder is always
gravely
sinful, regardless of the form it takes. In a similar way, indirectly bringing about a person’s death, when done
intentionally, is also a clear violation of the commandment.

HERE ARE SOME SPECIFIC CASES OF MORTAL SINS THAT GO SPECIFICALLY AGAINST THE FIFTH
COMMANDMENT:

Homicide
the crime of killing another person or human.
Murder
the same with homicide but with intentions (pre-planned).
Infanticide
the crime of killing a child within a year of birth.
Fratricide
killing of one’s brother or sister.
Suicide
it is the act of taking one’s own life may it be voluntarily or intentionally.
Parricide
the killing of a parent or close relative.
Self-Defense
 What shall we say about death that occurs when an individual is protecting him or herself from an attack? In this
case we need to consider what the Church’s moral theologians name the Principle of Double Effect. St. Thomas
Aquinas explains this very simply when he writes, “The act of self-defense can have a double effect: the
preservation of one’s own life; and the killing of the aggressor… The one is intended, the other is not.” (ST, II-II,
64.7)
Euthanasia
 It is the act of killing an individual for reasons considered to be merciful. Euthanasia is sinful for the same reason
that abortion is sinful: it violates the rights of an individual. On its surface, euthanasia may seem quite attractive,
as it offers a solution to end human suffering, but our Catechism observes it as a murder gravely contrary to the
dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, our Creator.
Abortion
 An abortion is a procedure to end a pregnancy. It uses medicine or surgery to remove the embryo or fetus and
placenta from the uterus.
 A NOTE OF CONSOLATION:

Here we need to remark that while the Fifth Commandment forbids murder, and, thus, the taking of our own life, we
must leave to God’s mercy the judgment of those who have committed suicide. At the same time, we must remember our
life is a gift given in trust. We do not exercise complete control over it; God expects us to give it back. Thus, the
Catechism teaches: “Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the
sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our
souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.” (CCC, #2280)
We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone,
God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.
(CCC, #2283)

The Sixth Commandment

“Thou shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14)

Adultery is when a person gives to another the love that belongs to a husband and wife. This is forbidden by the 6th
Commandment. But implicit in the commandment is any form of undue sexual activity that leads oneself or another into
sin. So, it covers a wide variety of subjects. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and we should therefore respect
them and cover them modestly. We must also respect those of the opposite sex. The 6th commandment forbids all
impurity and immodesty in words, looks, and actions, whether alone or with others. Examples of this would be: touching
one's own body or that of another without necessity simply to satisfy sinful curiosity, impure conversations, dirty jokes,
looking at bad pictures, and undue familiarity with the opposite sex.

The Sixth Commandment summons spouses to practice permanent and exclusive fidelity to one another. Emotional and
sexual fidelity are essential to the commitment made in the marriage covenant. God established marriage as a reflection
of His fidelity to us. The vows made by the spouses at their wedding to be faithful to one another forever should witness
the very covenant God has made with us.
All people—married, single, religious, and ordained—need to acquire the virtue of chastity. “Chastity means the
successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being”
(CCC, #2337). Chastity unites our sexuality with our entire human nature. It approaches sexuality as related to our
spiritual natures so that sex is seen as more than a physical act. Sexuality affects the whole person because of the unity of
body and soul. Jesus is the model of chastity. “Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in
human freedom” (CCC, #2339). The acquisition of chastity depends on self-discipline and leads to an internal freedom,
which enables human beings to temper sexual desires according to God’s plan for the appropriate expression of love in
the marital relationship of a man and a woman.

THERE ARE NUMBER OF ACTS GO AGAINST THE 6TH COMMANDMENT:

 Adultery -a voluntary sexual activity (as sexual intercourse) committed by a wife to a married man and should be
charged together.
 Concubinage – a voluntary sexual activity (as sexual intercourse) committed by a husband to an unmarried woman
and should be charged together
 Fornication – voluntary sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons or two persons not married to each
other.
 Bigamy – the act of going through a marriage ceremony while already married to another person
 Polygamy – state of marriage to many spouses
 Polygyny – having more than one wife is not God's will. Jesus said that a man has only one wife.
 Polyandry – having more than one husband is not God’s will. Jesus said that a woman has only one husband.
 Sex partners – is against God’s will as well. It demeans the sex act which reflects God’s love and the fact that we
are temples of the Holy Spirit.
 Sex partners – is against God’s will as well. It demeans the sex act which reflects God’s love and the fact that we
are temples of the Holy Spirit.
 Homosexuality - two men having sex is immoral in God's eyes.
NOTE: (The Church teaches that Homosexuality is not a sin but the activity ‘sex acts’ are sinful.)

In conclusion, any sex outside of marriage is wrong in God's eyes. No matter how "right" it feels at the moment.

Therefore, it is important to remember that these commandments imply much more than they expressly command. For
example, the fourth commandment explicitly prescribes only honor for one's parents, but under this heading are
included love, obedience and service. Moreover, as the Church interprets it, this same commandment refers to the duties
of all those in any position of subordination toward lawful superiors; it also imposes on those who rule others,
particularly parents, the obligation to provide for the welfare of those in their charge. Similarly, the fifth commandment,
though it explicitly forbids only killing, is to be extended to the prohibition of any unjust injury to the body, and even to
the soul, whether of oneself or of other human beings. The sixth commandment is explicitly directed against adultery -
the gravest sin of impurity that can be committed by or against a married person. Yet, it really forbids every external
act against the noble virtues of chastity and modesty.
 Midterm Week 4
The 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th Commandments of God

The Seventh and Eighth commandments are concerned primarily with our duties toward two possessions of our neighbor
- their material goods and their good reputation. Since human beings have the tendency to be selfish and neglectful of the
rights of others, God considered it necessary to lay down the explicit commands: "Thou shalt not steal" and "Thou shalt
not bear false witness against thy neighbor". Like the other commandments, these two commandments prescribe more
obligations than those which they explicitly assert. The seventh commandment forbids not only stealing but every type
of dishonest dealing; the eighth forbids not only falsehood but also many other sins of the tongue such as gossiping, the
unlawful revelation of secrets, and the likes.

The Ninth and Tenth commandments are closely related with the Sixth and Seventh. The Ninth forbidding interior sins
regarding matters of purity, while the Sixth forbids external acts; the Tenth forbidding those internal sins the external
performance of which is forbidden by the Seventh commandment.

In our days there is much dishonesty, due largely to the excessive desire of people for riches and luxuries. In business, in
politics, even at home, many people are so anxious to enrich themselves that they are entirely unconcerned with the
rights of their fellow human beings. Moreover, crimes of theft and robbery, often accompanied by violence or even
murder, are becoming prevalent.

The Seventh Commandment

The “seventh word” of the Decalogue primarily reveals to us that God wants us to act justly and with charity in our
relationships with one another. In this way, we are able to live in communion with God, who is just and loving.
Specifically, the Seventh Commandment “commands justice and charity in the care of earthly goods and the fruits of
men’s labor.” It forbids the unjust taking or keeping of goods belonging to one’s neighbor and the wronging of another
as regards his/her goods.
The seventh commandment forbids unjustly taking or keeping the goods of one's neighbor and wronging him/her in any
way with respect to his/her goods. It commands justice and charity in the care of earthly goods and the fruits of men's
labor. For the sake of the common good, it requires respect for the universal destination of goods and respect for the
right to private property. Christian life strives to order this world's goods to God and to fraternal charity. (CCC, 2401)

Justice is the moral virtue that “consists in the constant and firm will to give what is due to God and neighbor.” In terms
of one’s neighbor, justice requires respect for the rights of each person and working for harmony in human relationships
so that equity with regard to persons and the common good is promoted.

Charity is the theological virtue by “which we love God above all things for His own sake, and our neighbor as
ourselves for the love of God.” In other words, charity is both the new commandment and the virtue by which we keep
the commandments that Christ gave us. It is the greatest of the virtues because it disposes us to participate most
intimately in the life of God, who is love itself.

So here we can begin to see the relationship that must exist between justice, the human virtue, and charity, the
theological virtue. As stated above, justice “consists in the constant and firm will to give what is due to God and
neighbor.” What is due to God and neighbor? In a word, love is. Charity, then, makes justice possible.
The 7th and the 10th commandments go together. The Tenth makes it easy to keep the Seventh by telling us not even to
desire the property of our neighbor.

Remember: Christ's warning on the danger of riches. Anyone who desires to be rich, that is, to have more
material possessions than what he needs will find it hard to respect the property of their neighbor. And the more
we love the things of this earth, the harder we shall find it to love God.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE SINS AGAINST THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT:
The Seventh Commandment expressly forbids: Theft, robbery, cheating, usury, injuring the property of another, detention
of goods that have been found or lent, and the non-payment of debts.

 THEFT
the act or crime of stealing
 ROBBERY
Robbery is a theft accompanied by personal violence.
 CHEATING
consists in injuring one’s neighbor in his possessions by crafty means.
 USURY
the illegal action or practice of lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest.

The eighth commandment forbids misrepresenting the truth in our relations with others. This moral prescription flows
from the vocation of the holy people to bear witness to their God who is the truth and wills the truth. Offenses against the
truth express by word or deed is a refusal to commit oneself to moral uprightness; they are fundamental infidelities to
God and, in this sense, they undermine the foundations of the covenant. (CCC, #2464)

JESUS & US: REFLECTIONS OF TRUTH

Throughout the gospel, the evangelists portray Jesus as the embodiment of God’s truth. He, himself, says, “I am the Way,
the Truth, and the Life,” (Jn. 14:6) and this truth sheds God’s light upon the world and provides the example for all our
actions. If we consider the matter, this is no more than we should expect of beings created in God’s image: if we look like
God, we ought to act like God. Mark Twain, somewhat cynically observed, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to
remember anything.” In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expresses the notion somewhat more nobly when he teaches,
“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more comes from evil.” (Mt. 5:34)

WHAT IS TRUTH?
Before we continue, we might do well to ask what truth is. The dictionary defines truth as “Conformity to fact or
actuality.” St. Thomas Aquinas teaches, “…truth resides primarily in the intellect, and secondarily in things as they are
related to the intellect as their principle.” (ST, 1, 16.1)

This is somewhat abstract, so let us consider the example St. Thomas uses, which is that of a house. The house is “true”
to the extent it corresponds to the image in its architect’s mind. Likewise, in the natural and moral sphere, God knows
what things ought to be – whether they are rocks or moral principles. Individual things are true to the extent they
correspond to the ideal vision of the object in God’s mind. We have little difficulty identifying “true” rocks; moral
truths, however, which are fundamental to our relations with one another, may, at least occasionally, be somewhat more
difficult to determine.
The Catechism then provides synonyms for truth, “truthfulness, sincerity, or candor. Truth or truthfulness is the virtue
which
consists in showing oneself true in deeds and truthful in words, and in guarding against duplicity, dissimulation and
hypocrisy.”

HERE ARE SOME OF THE OFFENSES AGAINST TRUTH:

 Lie
is an assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with purpose of deceiving someone.
 Perjury
is lying under oath. If we take an oath to tell the truth but then we lie, we are telling God that we want Him to lie for us.
God is always true to His promises and never lies! For this reason, false oaths and perjury seriously offended God.

OTHER LIES:
 Rash judgment, which assumes – without proof – someone has done wrong

 Detraction - which is telling the faults of another to those who have no reason to know the information
  Calumny - which is lying about another, and causing others to form false negative opinions of the individual.
 the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order to damage their reputation;(synonymous
to slander and defamation)

The Ninth and Tenth Commandments sound so similar – “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife… Thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor’s goods” – we may wonder what distinguishes them. Our theology teaches that concupiscence is the
distinguishing characteristic.
By the 9th commandment we are commanded to be pure in thought and desire. Mere thoughts about impure things are
not always sinful in themselves, but such thoughts are dangerous. Thoughts about impure things become sinful when a
person thinks of an unchaste act (thoughts of sex) and deliberately takes pleasure in so thinking, or when unchaste desire
or passion is aroused and consent is given to it.
The 9th commandment forbids all thoughts and desires contrary to chastity. That is to say, it forbids all willful thoughts.
We know that no thought can be a sin unless it is willful. A willful thought is one we want, one we take deliberate
pleasure in and do not try to put out of our minds.
An unchaste thought that we do not want and try to get rid of is not a sin but a temptation. It is not possible to avoid all
temptations. When the devil wants to put an unchaste thought in our minds, he is usually able to do so. But this is
nothing to worry about and will never be a sin as long as we do not want the thought and do our best to put it out by a
little prayer and by keeping busy. The best remedy against this type of temptation is prayer and flight. Run away from it
by thinking about something else as much as you can. Above all, avoid idleness, as the devil has trouble tempting busy
people.

CONCUPISCENCE
In Latin, the word “concupiscence” means “to desire strongly”, and our Catechism defines concupiscence as “…any
intense form of human desire. Christian theology has given it a particular meaning: the movement of the sensitive
appetite contrary to the operation of human reason.” (CCC, #2515)
Concupiscence is one of the results of Original Sin. It is not sinful in itself, but its presence within us can incline us to
make poor moral choices when faced with certain attractive options. Concupiscence is what St. Paul has in mind when
he employs the very apt image of the flesh rebelling against the spirit.

Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church (YOUCAT)

The erotic attraction between man and woman was created by God and is therefore good; it is part of a person's sexual
nature and biological constitution. It ensures that man and woman can unite with one another and descendants can spring
from their love. The 9th commandment is meant to protect this union.
The shelter of marriage and family must not be endangered through playing with fire, in other words, through reckless
indulgence in the erotic energy that crackles between man and woman. This is why it is a good rule, especially for
Christians: "Keep your hands off married men and women."
When we turn to God with a sincere intention, he transforms our hearts. He gives us the strength to correspond to his
will and to reject impure thoughts, fantasies, and desires.
Many young Christians live in an environment where it is taken for granted that everything should be on display and
people are systematically trained to ignore feelings of shame. But shamelessness is inhuman. Animals experience no
shame. In a human being, in contrast, it is an essential feature. It does not hide something inferior but rather protects
something valuable, namely the dignity of the person in his capacity to love. The feeling of shame is found in all
cultures, although it assumes different forms. it has nothing to do with prudery or a repressive upbringing. A person is
also ashamed of his sins and other things that would demean him if they were made generally known. Someone who
offends another person's natural feeling of shame by words, glances, gestures, or actions, robs him of his dignity.

FORBIDDEN ACT BY THE NINTH COMMANDMENT:

Act of Lasciviousness
 it is an act of making a physical contact with the body of another person for the purpose of obtaining sexual
gratification other than, or without intention of sexual intercourse.
 having impure thoughts and desires
 The Tenth Commandment

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods, his land, and his slaves, his
animals or anything else that he owns.”
Deuteronomy 5:22

The Tenth commandment unfolds and completes the Ninth, which is concerned with concupiscence of the flesh. It
forbids coveting the goods of another, as the root of theft, robbery, and fraud, which the Seventh commandment forbids.
"Lust of the eyes" leads to the violence and injustice forbidden by the Fifth commandment. 319 Avarice, like fornication,
originates in the idolatry prohibited by the first three prescriptions of the Law.320 The Tenth commandment concerns
the intentions of the heart; with the Ninth, it summarizes all the precepts of the Law. (CCC, #2534)
The Tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit. It forbids avarice arising
from a passion for riches and their attendant power. It also forbids the desire to commit injustice by harming our
neighbor and his temporal goods. (CCC, #2536)

SPECIFIC SIN THAT GO AGAINST TO THE 10th COMMANDMENT:

AVARICE – extreme greed for wealth or material gain.

To sum it up, in our days there is much dishonesty, due largely to the excessive desire of people for riches and luxuries.
In business, in politics, even in the home, many people are so anxious to enrich themselves that they are entirely
unconcerned with the rights of their fellow men. Moreover, crimes of theft and robbery, often accompanied by violence
or even murder, are becoming more and more common.
Sometimes people buy stolen goods knowingly, and apparently do not realize that they have no right to claim them but
that they must give them back to the real owner. Indeed, even if a person buys stolen goods without realizing that they
have been stolen, he may not keep them when he finds out that they were stolen if he knows the owner. If the owner
appears and proves his right to the goods, the man who has bought them must restore them, even though the owner makes
no recompense for the price the recipient has paid; but the latter has a right to get his money back from the thief who sold
him the goods. The civil law is unable to accomplish much toward preventing these violations of the Seventh
commandment. True, people are sent to prison for theft when they are captured. But many escape the law; many others
commit sins of dishonesty in so clever a way that there is no civil law to cover their case. But they do not escape the all
seeing eye of God. And no matter how successfully a person may have acquired dishonest gain, no matter how prosperous
he may have made himself at the expense of his fellow men, death will come in a few brief years to separate him from his
riches and to summon him to judgment before the throne of an all just God.
Many persons, by not paying their just debts, are guilty of sins against the Seventh commandment. Some claim that they
are unable to pay, yet they continue to buy luxuries, a fact which shows that they are not sincere. There are even some
who deliberately refuse to pay a debt even though they know it was contracted, if the creditor has no written proof of his
claim. God's law of justice is not limited to what can be proved in a civil court.
Sins of the tongue which injure others are also prevalent. Without the least qualm of conscience men lie to their fellow
men. There are many who gravely injure the reputation of their fellows by their uncharitable, often false, remarks and
stories. Backbiting, tale bearing, the violation of secrets that one should keep, rash judgments - how common these are
today!
Catholics or Christians, followers of Our Lord who was so attentive to the rights of others. Should try to lead men to
observe
these commandments _ and the best way is to inspire them by good example. We must be strictly honest in our dealings
with others. Even when there is a question of something of slight value, we must never take it or keep it if it belongs to
another. How many, for example, seem to think that if they find something on the street they are entitled to keep it
without an attempt to find the owner! Similarly, we must watch over our speech, rejecting every form of falsehood,
carefully avoiding anything that might wound our neighbor's character, shunning rash and harsh judgments about our
neighbor. "Do not judge, that you may not be judged" (Matt. 7:1).
RESOLUTION: Resolve to be strictly honest both in deed and in word.

*****END OF LESSON****
 THE STORY OF JOSHUA AND THE BOOK OF JUDGES

Conclusion to the Ten Commandments

 
The 10 commandments reflect the Love of God and the Love of Neighbor
           Our Gospel reading last October 25, 2020 found in Matthew 22: 34-40 is the perfect summary of the 10
Commandments. In response to the question of the pharisees on which is the greatest commandment of the Law?  Jesus
said …, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the
greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two
commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets too.'
           The Ten Commandments were given in a treaty format since they are the basis for our right relationship with God,
and with others. Others includes our environment and many other things around us which we should take care.
The 10 commandments are not prohibitions and limitations of our freedom as some would see it but rather on the proper
perspective, these are the means for us to achieve total freedom. These serve as guiding paths for us to experience real and
total freedom and healthy lifestyle where there are no crimes, no hatred, no enemies and most importantly no war among
different nations and different sectors.
 
Review of Some symbolic Numbers in the Bible
You might have personally read Biblical passages such as “Jesus fasted for 40 days”, “Moses stayed on the mountain for
40 days”, God rested on the Sabbath/seventh day, Jesus resurrected on the 3 rd day, David had 700 wives and 300
concubines, “will I forgive him 7 times” etc.  The numbers 3, 7, 40 when used in the Old Testament are not literal or
actual as others would understand it but symbolic. 7 symbolizes perfection, that is why they always give it to God like the
Sabbath/seventh day. 3 stands for few if they refer to numbers and short span of time if about duration. So, king Solomon
did not really have 700 hundred wives since nobody made a research about it, but it simply means he had numerous wives
and he still had few concubines. 40 stands for long span of time and time for purification. The Israelites did not literally
stay for forty years in the desert but simply means that they stayed there for a long period of time. Another example is “40
days of the dead person”, means you pray for her/his soul to be purified so that on the 40 th day he/she should be freed from
his/her sins; and it is not just about eating.
ISRAELITES IN THE DESERT
 
           After their exodus from Egypt, the Israelites first settled in the desert for “forty” years; “40” years of wandering as
part of their journey to the Promised Land. They experienced a lot of struggles such as shortage of food and water and
other basic needs. This was where God had to give them manna bread from heaven and water. There were even times that
they complained to God and they repented after they were punished. “40” years in the desert means they stayed there for a
long period of time since it was their time for purification as God was molding them as His chosen people to start His
salvific plan for all people.
The Story of Joshua: Entry to the Promised Land (Canaan) 
The book of Joshua speaks about the conquest and settlement of the
household of God/Israelites in the Promise Land. God through the leadership
of Joshua will now finally let His people settle in the land He promised to
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is the “land flowing with milk and honey”
(Exodus 13:5), in other words, a very fertile land.
 After Moses had died, the Lord said to Joshua, son of Nun: “My servant
Moses is dead. So prepare to cross the Jordan here, with all the people into
the land I will give the Israelites. As I promised, I will deliver to you every
place where you set foot. Your domain is to be all the land of the Hittites,
from the desert and from Lebanon east to the great river Euphrates and west
to the Great Sea. No one can withstand you while you live. I will be with
you as I was with Moses: I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be firm and
steadfast, so that you may give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers I would give them . Above
all, be firm and steadfast, taking care to observe the entire law which
my servant Moses enjoined on you. Do not swerve from it either to the
right or to the left, which you may succeed wherever you go. Keep this
book of the law on your lips. Recite it, by day and by night that you may
observe carefully all that is written in it; then you will successfully attain
your goal. I command you: be firm and steadfast! Do not fear nor be
dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you
go.” (Joshua 1:1-9).

 The Crossing of the Jordan River

            From the desert, the Israelites need to cross the Jordan River for
them to enter Canaan (Promised Land). How did they do this? They crossed it with the Ark of the Covenant carried by the
priests. When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, touched the
water of the Jordan, it ceased flowing until all Israelites crossed over on dry ground. (Joshua 3:5-17)
           After crossing the Jordan River, the Israelites camped in Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho. At Gilgal Joshua set
up the twelve stones, saying to the Israelites, “In the future, when the children among you ask their fathers what these
stones mean, you shall inform them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan with the help of the Lord just as the Lord, your God, had
done in the Red Sea, in order that all the peoples of the earth may learn that the hand of the Lord is mighty, and that you
may fear the Lord, your God, forever.” (Joshua 4:19-24)
           With the leadership of Joshua, God allowed the Israelites to conquer Jericho and other cities in the Promised Land.
When they conquered most part of Canaan/promised land, Joshua divided the land among the twelve tribes of Israel.
The tribe of Levi was not given since it was dedicated to the priesthood/priestly clan. This means that the people will take
care of their priests. Before his death, Joshua renewed Israel’s covenant with the Lord . He told the Israelites to remain
faithful to the Lord/YHWH and keep His statutes/Commandments or else they will perish. (Joshua 24)
  Since the Israelites are now settled in Canaan/promised Land, the only thing they need to do was to remain faithful to the
Lord/YHWH. If there are problems or disputes among the tribes or if they are being attacked by their enemies and they
cry out to the Lord, leaders would come out to deliver them from these adversaries. With this situation, leaders would only
come out when needed; so, leaders just come and go. These leaders will be called the Judges. 
 
The Book of Judges
The Book of Judges tell the story of the Israelites after the death of Joshua of which the pattern was, when they obeyed
God's commands, they were victorious over their enemies, but when they rebelled against Him, they were defeated and
oppressed. Judges was the title of the leaders of the Israelites during this time. They were the transition leaders before the
emergence of the kings. There were 12 judges in
all; Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon and Samson.
Including Barak and Samuel in some category, there will be 14.
These Judges served as military leaders in times of crisis, rather than judges in the legal sense of the world. The
great lesson of these books is that Israel’s survival depended on Fidelity/faithfulness to God, while unfaithfulness always
leads to disaster. But there was something more than this: even when the nation was unfaithful to God and disaster
came, God was always ready to save his people when they repented and turned to him again. 
Let us look on the different messages of the story of some of these Judges
1. DEBORAH – She is the only female judge, and a prophetess. Her name means “honey bee,” Having a woman leader
was contrary to most people’s thought that only men should rule.  Deborah is the example that leadership can be exercised
by both men and women. God can used anybody as His instrument to accomplish His mission. Man and woman are equal
in dignity.
2. GIDEON – was known to be one who came from a least tribe/clan, but God called him, and he defeated the many
enemies with only 300 soldiers. This means that God can choose the least to cast down the powerful or to defeat a great
enemy. Gideon earned the name—Jerubbaal—for destroying the altar of Baal who was the god of the Canaanites. Baal
was a god of fertility for the Canaanites.
3. SAMSON – is one of the most well-known among the Judges. This was because of his gift of strength which he used to
defeat the enemies of the Israelites or to create havoc among them. Samson was a  Nazarite which means a
person“dedicated”/offered to God from the time he was born. As part of his vows, he never cut his hair or not allowed to
drink much wine. As commonly known, he revealed his secret to an unworthy person which caused his downfall. The
great lesson here is, keep your secrets holy and be faithful to your vows.
4. SAMUEL – was the last Judge though he was more of a prophet. He answered God’s calling when he was young, and
He will be the one who will anoint King Saul and King David later when he grew as a prophet. He was in a transition time
between the Judges and the Kings. So, God calls anyone whether young or old for the mission.
Pattern of Life of the Israelites during the Time of the Judges
 The people are unfaithful to Yahweh, they will experience disaster such as falling into the hands of their enemies; the
people repent and entreat Yahweh for mercy, He saves them by sending a leader (judge), and the judge delivers the
Israelites from oppression and they are back to God but later this pattern will be repeated.
 Point for Reflection: Do you have this pattern in your personal life or do you observe this pattern in our
community/societal life?
 
SAMUEL AND THE THREE KINGS OF ISRAEL
Introduction:
   The prosperous life of the Israelites in the Promised Land/Canaan had some negative effect. They had forgotten or
become unfaithful to the God of their ancestors especially with their marriage to Canaanite women which resulted in the
worship of the Canaanite god (Baal: their god of fertility). Their faith in God-YHWH which was the only uniting
force/element was no longer there. They were no longer strongly united as people of God/YHWH. This situation often
caused their defeat and oppression from their enemies. During this period, the Israelites saw that the Canaanites/Philistines
were so great that they needed to be united under one military leader or king. Such demand was directed to Samuel, who
was the last of the judges of Israel. 
 
Clarification of some terms
            Philistines is a modern term for the Canaanites. The Philistines or Canaanites were the first migrants in Canaan, the
land which God promised to the ancestors of the Israelites.  The Canaanites/Philistines are composed of different tribes
such as the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, etc. Palestine is the modern term for the land of Canaan.
The Israelites are called such since they were the descendants of Jacob whose name is also Israel.   Judah was one of the
twelve sons of Jacob/Israel. Later the whole land of Canaan will be called Israel and later the southern part of the land will
be called Judah or Judea where the Israelites will get their modern name Jews.
SAMUEL:
Prophet, Last of the Judges and Anointer of Kings
     Samuel was a man chosen by God from his miraculous birth until his death. He is known by answering God’s call
when he was still young by saying: “Speak Lord, your servant is listening”. He served in several important positions
during his life, earning God's favor because he knew how to obey.
    Israel’s often oppression from their enemies made them demand for a king to Samuel. At first Samuel was hesitant
since this was a sure evidence of their unfaithfulness and not acknowledging God/YHWH as their King. Later Samuel will
give in to their demand with great conditions; The king must still acknowledge and be faithful to God/YHWH as the
Highest King and the king should be faithful to the Israelites’ covenant with God. If the king and the people will again be
unfaithful to God, they will be wiped away or perish.
 
The First Three Kings of Israel
     As the Lord granted the Israelites’ demand, Samuel anointed Saul as their first king. He was a tall and handsome man
from the tribe of Benjamin.
         “Then, from a flask he had with him, Samuel poured oil on Saul’s head; he
also kissed him, saying: “The Lord anoints you commander over his heritage. You
are to govern the Lord’s people Israel, and to save them from the grasp of their
enemies round about.” This will be the sign for you that the Lord has anointed you
commander over his heritage: (1 Samuel 10:1)
   “Now you have the king you want, a king the Lord has given to you. If you fear
the Lord and worship him, if you are obedient to him and do not rebel against the
Lord’s command, if both you and the king who rules you follow the Lord your God
– well and good. But if you do not obey the Lord and if you rebel against his
command, the Lord will deal severely with you and your king.” (1 Samuel 12: 13-
15, 21-25)
 
          At the beginning of his reign, Saul appeared to be a meek and humble king,
and a great blessing for Israel. He had some good achievements like freeing Israel
from their enemies and extending their territorial boundaries, but soon did not live
as expected of him by God. He would greatly disobey God by listening more to his
own desires and to the people around him. He did not follow God’s plans
especially in dealing with some enemies but implemented his own desires. God was so displeased with Saul’s
disobedience and regretted making him king. This led to his rejection by God.
 
           Before the rise of David, there is a story of a woman named Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite or non-Israelite who was
married by Boaz. Boaz was the father of Obed, who was the father of Jesse who became the father of David. So, Ruth
who was a non-Israelite became the great grandmother of the icon king David. The strong message is, anybody can
become/join the people of God so long as you believe in and be faithful to Him. God is not just a God for the
Israelites.  Recall Ruth’s very remarkable words to her mother in law Naomi: “Your people will be my people and
your God will be my God”.
          This story of Ruth is also the same with the story of Rahab, a woman from Jericho who saved the two spies of
Joshua and later joined the Israelites when they conquered Jericho. This will again remind us that God’s salvific plan
is intended for all people.

          After Saul’s rejection, God asked Samuel to look for a new King. Samuel went to Bethlehem and anointed the
young shepherd David, son of Jesse. At first Samuel was confused on whom to anoint since the sons of Jesse were all
handsome or good looking.  God told Samuel, “God does not look at the appearance but the heart of a person”.
          David rise to stardom began when he killed the giant Philistine warrior Goliath. With complete trust in God’s
protection, the young David eventually defeated the giant warrior. David was on the rise while Saul was falling. The
jealous Saul often attempted to kill David who was also his son in law but failed. David on the other hand would spare
Saul if Saul is cornered by David’s men since David respected Saul as his father in law and most especially being the first
anointed by God. So, David really had this fear of the Lord. Saul’s end came when he died in a battle with the enemies.
David asked the people to mourn for Saul and later the people will “anoint”/proclaim David as their king. Since David was
anointed by Samuel while still young, his kingship was realized fully after the death of Saul.
       
DAVID’s ACHIEVEMENTS: In his reign as the King of Israel, David was very successful as he defeated all their
enemies from every side. The peak of his kingship was his settlement in Jerusalem which he captured from the Jebusites.
He named Jerusalem as the City of David, the City of God. David was overwhelmed and humbled by God’s graciousness
to him as the king of Israel. As a sign of gratitude, David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, in the midst of
singing and dancing. The Ark was placed in a tent prepared for it, and David offered sacrifice before the Lord. David was
also a psalmist and a player of a harp.
           In Jerusalem, David wanted to build a house for the Lord (temple) since he was somewhat guilty by living in a
palace as a king while the Ark of the Covenant was just staying in a small simple tent. God did not accept such plan, but
rather promised David a “house” for his faithfulness. This “house” would later mean an eternal dynasty; that after him, his
descendants would be the next kings to reign until the end.
            David was not all righteous during his reign as king. He also had his weaknesses. Though he was a great
conqueror, he was not able to conquer his own selfish desires, especially the desire of the flesh. After his triumphs over his
enemies, David succumbed to the temptation of the flesh. He became obsessed with a beautiful woman named Bathsheba,
the wife of Uriah, one of his soldiers. To get her, he sent Uriah to the forefront of the battle that led to his imminent death.
Thus, David committed the sins of adultery and murder by planning the death of Uriah and marrying Bathsheba. Through
the prophet Nathan, David realized his sins and asked God’s forgiveness.  (read Psalm 51, David’s asking God’s for
forgiveness)
           The death of the first son of David with Bathsheba was conceived by some as his punishment for his sin. His son
Absalom revolted against his father David due to his ambition to become the next king but failed. He was killed in the end
by the general of David. David still mourned for his son Absalom.
Remember, David will not be defeated since he was the king chosen and anointed by God through the prophet Samuel.
SOLOMON: Man of Wisdom or Man of Foolishness?
            Solomon became the ruler of Israel after the death of his father David. He became famous for two outstanding
achievements: his wisdom and the building of the temple. At the start of his reign, Solomon prayed to God for wisdom.
This was generously granted by God. Such wisdom was shown in the story of how he discovered the true mother of a baby
whom the two women both claimed to be theirs. He is believed to be the author of many sayings and proverbs found in the
Book of Proverbs.
     Solomon answered: “You have shown great kindness to your servant, David my father, because he walked before you
with fidelity, justice and an upright heart; and you have continued this great kindness toward him today, giving him a son
to sit upon his throne. Now, Lord, my God, you have made me your servant, king to succeed David my father; but I am a
mere youth, not knowing at all how to act. I, your servant, among the people you have chosen, a people so vast that it
cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant, therefore, a listening heart to judge your people and to distinguish
between good and evil. For who is able to give judgment for this vast people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:6-9)
        King Solomon fulfilled David’s plan to build a temple for the Ark of the Covenant. The temple was very large and
impressive; it was made of the best and finest materials. It became the visible sign of God’s presence and served as a
strong reminder of the covenant between God and the Israelites. The temple became the center of Israel’s worship, faith
and hope in God. The Ark of the Covenant was placed inside the Holy of Holies, the innermost and sacred part of the
Temple. The temple was built in the City of Jerusalem. Because of the belief that God dwells in his temple, Jerusalem
became the City of God.

The Temple built by King Solomon

 
THE FALL OF THE KINGDOM OF SOLOMON
1. The Sins of Solomon

            King Solomon’s reign was not all an impressive success. He used forced labor for his ambitious building projects
like the walls of Jerusalem and others. He lived in luxury, out of the heavy taxes that he imposed on the people. He
married the daughters of neighboring kings to assure their support and friendly relations. He had 700 wives of princely
rank and 300 concubines. He succumbed to the request of some of his foreign wives to build temples for their gods. Thus,
Solomon committed the very serious sin of idolatry. This sin is very much against the First Commandment. The
punishment of Solomon’s grave sin will come later by God allowing Jeroboam, Solomon’s servant to rule most of the
kingdom of Israel.   
 
      
*****END OF LESSON*****

 
 Finals Week 1 and 2
The Fall of Solomon’s Kingdom

The Lord became angry with Solomon because he has allowed idolatry especially the establishment of pagan temples in
Jerusalem. Unlike his father David, Solomon was unfaithful to God. He had caused so much suffering to the people whom
he had treated like slaves through forced labor. As a result of his infidelity, his punishment will be, that his kingdom will
be divided into two. A larger part will be taken by his servant
Jeroboam, and the smaller portion will be given to his son. God
still left two tribes for Rehoboam for the sake of His promise of
eternal dynasty to David.
 

The Division and Fall of Solomon’s Kingdom (Rehoboam and

Jeroboam)
When King Solomon died, his son Rehoboam succeeded him as
king. Led by Jeroboam (Solomon’s servant who rebelled against
forced labor and escaped to Egypt when Solomon was still alive),
the people requested Rehoboam to lighten the burden that his father imposed on them. But Rehoboam decided to double
the burden. Because of this, the ten tribes broke away from the king and formed a separate kingdom in the
north. Jeroboam became their king, and their kingdom was named Israel, with its capital in Samaria. Rehoboam
kept the two tribes in the south and was named Judah, with its capital in Jerusalem. Each kingdom existed separately
from each other.
In the Northern Kingdom, Jeroboam was strong and brave, but was not a good king. He built two temples in the North
(in Bethel and in Dan) so that the people would not have to go to Jerusalem to worship God. He was afraid that his people
might be tempted to stay in the south and withdraw their support to him. He placed a golden calf in each of them to
symbolize God which is a great offence against God. He even burnt incensed in front of these images. Later, the people in
the North also acknowledged and even some worship Baal, (god of the Canaanites/god of fertility) a false and strange god.
It made the people unfaithful to the God of the covenant. This unfaithfulness to God did not only caused religious division
among the people. It also led to social chaos, such as the exploitation of the poor. The rich made the poor their slaves and
can even sell poor women to slavery or prostitution. The people were hypocrite by worshipping God and yet continue
doing their evil deeds to the poor and others. Because of this, the North Kingdom fell into the hands of Assyrians, and
most of the people were led to exile. The few who were left, lived and intermarried with the Assyrians, who later
became known as Samaritans.
King Jeroboam of Israel still did not turn from his evil ways but continued to choose priests from ordinary families to
serve at the altars he had built. He ordained anyone who wanted to be a priest. This sin on his part will bring about the ruin
and total destruction of his dynasty. (1 Kings 13:33-34) When he died, his son Nadab succeeded him as king. (1 Kings
14:19-20)
The Southern Kingdom of Judah was ruled by the descendants of King David. Compared with the Northern Kingdom,
Judah was a little better. There was stability and peace. But soon the South will also follow the unfaithfulness and social
injustices of the North. They will also worship strange gods and exploit the poor.
With these situations of the Israelites, God will have to intervene and will send his spokespersons who will be called
prophets.
The Prophets in the Household of God
The lorProphets (from the Hebrew word Nabi) are not persons who predict or foretell the future but rather persons who
are called by God to proclaim His word. They are messengers of God; they speak on behalf of God. They also
interpret the signs of the times and proclaim what God is telling through those signs. Their mission is to inform and
form the conscience of people and call them back to God when they have wandered away from Him and His will. They
help people recognize their wrong deeds and call them to conversion, to a change of heart. Their introductory words
was: “Thus says the Lord” since they were the “mouth of God”. The word prophet means “to speak for”.
The prophets spoke for God to the people, receiving God’s message through visions, dreams, and others. The prophetic
message varied with the circumstances. The prophets warned the people about impending doom if they do not change their
evil ways and they supported the people with words of encouragement and hope during times of hardships.
Prophets arose in Israel during the period when Israel’s kings were unfaitful to Israel’s covenant with God which led to
their abuse of power, the rich maltreatment of the poor, their hypocrisy by worshipping God and yet abusing the poor and
the powerless, and especially their idolatrous acts by believing and even worshipping other (false) gods like Baal. The
prophets criticized the direction in which the people were being led by their rulers, and this often got them in trouble. They
were met with hostility, ridicule, mistreatment, punishment, and exile.
 
The Prophets of Israel – The Northern Kingdom:
 1. Amos – he was a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah, the southern kingdom but was called by God to
prophesy in the North (Israel) in the middle of the eighth century B.C. Amos’ message especially his harshest
words was directed to Israel’s ruling powers, specifically its royalty and aristocracy. He condemned these elite for
enriching themselves at the expense of the poor, and made it clear that they were doomed, with no chance of
avoiding disaster. His message was more than the ruling class could bear, and he was forced to leave the religious
center of Bethel and return to the south. But by then Amos had changed the direction of the prophetic discussion
of justice and righteousness, from focusing on God’s dealings with the people to the people’s dealings with each
other. The heart of Amos’ message is: “Let justice roll down like water.”
           Amos also condemned the immoralities of Israel’s neighbouring kingdoms that they are also accountable to God if
they will not change their evil ways.  This means that all nations are accountable to God.   God is the God of all. All are
under God’s care and subject to God’s punishment if do evil actions.
         At the end, the message of the prophet is repent and reform, God will protect those who remain faithful.
2. Hosea – Hosea was called by God to prophesy in the Northern Kingdom probably before the end of the eighth
century BC, during the reign of Jeroboam II (786-746 BC). God used the very life of this prophet to depict
Israelites’ covenantal – relationship with Him. Hosea’s unfaithful wife Gomer is being compared to the Israelites’
infidelity to God. Israel has been unfaithful to God through idolatry and oppression of the poor. Hosea’s act of
always forgiving and welcoming his wife Gomer despite her unfaithfulness depicts God’s act of always forgiving
the Israelites. Since the Israelites never change from this attitude, God chastisement came by allowing them to be
conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC, while the Southern Kingdom of Judah survived.
       The strong message of the prophet was that God is a very loving father, full of mercy and compassion, so repent and
change. The Israelites were too hard headed and did not heed such a good message.
 
The Prophets in the Southern Kingdom
1. Isaiah – The Prophet Isaiah lived and worked in Jerusalem before the Exile. He came from a priestly and royal
family. He strongly attacked and condemned the injustices of the rich and monarchy against the poor. He is
known for prophesying the coming of the Messiah when he said to king Ahaz that “a virgin shall conceived and
have a son and call him Emmanuel. He will restore the Kingdom of Israel” (love, justice, peace, fidelity). This
message was so meaningful in the midst of the situation of the Israelites.
Jeremiah – He was born of a priestly family in the middle of the 7 th century B.C. God told him that he has been called to
be a prophet since he was in the womb of his mother.  Since the Southern Kingdom followed the infidelity, hypocrisy and
social injustices of the Northern Kingdom, God compared them with a very hard clay which is could not be form as
a pot by a molder. The molder is no other than God Himself. This is how hard- deaded and hard- hearted the Israelites are.
God loves them so much like a husband to a wife but they are so unfaithful. Their hypocrisy is also seen in their act
of worshipping God in the Temple but still exploit or abuse the poor and the vulnerable ones. The very strong message of
God came when the Israelites insisted on their evil ways which is the destruction of Jerusalem even the Temple. The
Temple which the Israelites believed as the dwelling place of God is nothing if the people are unfaithful and continue
doing their evil actions. Because of this judgement, the people wanted to kill  the prophet Jeremiah since he was
prohesying things which contradicts what they believed that God is still with them because of the Temple.
          The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple came in 587 BC when the Babylonians under the King
Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Assyrians and captured both the North and the Southern Kingdom. They burn Jerusalem and
the Temple. They took all the elite Israelites into exile in Babylon and made them slaves.
God allowed the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and the exile of the Israelites  in order to purify them
and establish a new household/people as Jeremiah also prophesied when he said …. “a new covenant with the house of
Israel and the house of Judah.”….  God told Jeremiah that “I will place my law within them, and write it upon their
hearts” and “All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember
their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31,33–34).
 
3. Ezekiel – he was a priest in the Temple in Jerusalem and was probably taken to Babylon in 597 B.C. with the first
group of exiles when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. Ezekiel was living in a village in Babylon when he
received his call to be a prophet. So he was a prophet during and after the exile. He prophesied to the exiles that
the Temple was destroyed because of their idolatry and acts of injustices against the poor. As a prophet, Ezekiel
spoke words of condemnation and challenge, but he also spoke words of consolation. He promised salvation for
those in exile who would change their lives. Just like the prophet Jeremiah, Ezekiel also prophesied the return of
God to the Temple, the formation of the new household of God. This was clear in one of his visions of the dry
bones who were enfleshed and have life when they listen to his words. These dry bones referred to the  lifeless
Israelites in Babylon who will have good lives if they isten to God through the prophets and reform their lives.
 
            To sum up the causes of the misfortunes of the Israelites, aside from  idolatry, the
prophets Amos and Jeremiah identified concrete acts of injustice done against the poor and workers, such as cheating on
prices, weighing scales, and salaries. The prophet Micah reminds the leaders that they should be good examples and look
after the welfare of the poor, istead of taking part in the injustices and oppression against the poor. The
prophet Isaiah warns the rich who had acquired so much land and properties, at the expense of of the poor, who had
become landless and homeless, in a land that God has promised them. The prophets call for justice for the poor, through a
change of heart among the rich. The prophet Micah’s message summarized the simple norm that God wants for the
Israelites by saying “And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly
with your God?” (Micah 8:6)
Israel’s Experience during the Babylonian Exile.
        The Israelites’ bitter experience during their exile and slavery in Babylon transformed their pride into a total
surrender to God. They thought that this is a punishment from God for their infidelity ad acts of social injustices against
the poor and the vulnerable ones. They longed for God; they long for a liberator like Moses, they long for a Messiah. With
this, they started worshipping God in small places and houses by praying and studying the God’s Word especially
the Torah (Law). This was the beginning of the Synagogues (small worshipping places) as a substitute for the destroyed
Temple in Jerusalem. This was also the beginning of the Jews of diaspora (dispersed Jews or Israelites living/scattered
outside Palestine).

REBUILDING THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD

1. Return from Exile

            In 538 BCE, King Cyrus of Persia, who defeated the Babylonians issued a decree allowing the Jews who were
exiled in Babylon to return home, and rebuild their nation especially the temple. This was the fulfillment of the word of
the Lord spoken by Jeremiah. The Lord inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom,
both by word of mouth and in writing: “Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord, the God
of heaven, has given to me, and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever,
therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up, and may his God be with him! Let everyone who has
survived, in whatever place he may have dwelt, be assisted by the people of that place with silver, gold, goods, and cattle,
together with freewill offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:1-4)
         Ezra and Nehemiah were among those exiled in Babylon. Ezra led the second group of exiles who returned to
Jerusalem. Nehemiah served in the royal court of the Persian king as wine taster. About fourteen years after Ezra’s return
to Jerusalem, Nehemiah was allowed to go home.
2. Restoration of God’s Law and Worship in Jerusalem

            Because he had a thorough knowledge of the Law of God-the Law of Moses, Ezra instructed the people about it
and restored religious services, such as the observance of the Sabbath. Ezra believed that their captivity in Babylon was a
result of disobedience to the Law of God. He therefore led the people in the public reading of the Law of God, and a
regular instruction about it. (Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6)
            Nehemiah led the restoration of the city’s ruined walls. He became the governor of Judah, who reorganized the
people and introduced some social and administrative reforms.
            With the leadership of Ezra, Nehemiah and other people, the household of God was restored in Jerusalem after the
period of exile and captivity. God has again shown that He does not forsake His household.     
Point for Reflection:
 Who are the prophets of today?
            They could be some of our friends, teachers, acquaintances, events, the very ordinary people and others as God’s
instruments of telling us His messages. They are the mouthpieces of God for us. Let us listen to the voice of God through
them.
 

NOURISHING AND SUSTAINING THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD

           After the return of the Israelites in their land from Babylon, the great challenge was o how to sustain their fidelity in
God and their love or justice towards their neighbors. There were no longer prophets who would call their attention when
they go astray. With this, they look for other ways of looking for the meaning of life. So this was the period where they
search for wisdom from human experiences and others. You will find their reflections about this in the books of Wisdom.
  The wisdom books or “sapiential books” challenge us to think, look, listen, and reflect on our everyday experiences to
build character in us. This is the overarching principle of the Wisdom Books – to build character in us – the most
important element in nourishing and sustaining the household of God.
            There are seven of Wisdom books, namely the book of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Song
of Solomon), the Book of Wisdom, and Sirach (Ecclesiasticus).
1. Book of Job – it’s a story of a good man who suffers total disaster – he loses all his children and property and is
afflicted with a repulsive disease but despite his situation was able to maintain his faith in God. This story of Job
is an answer to people’s question on why do the innocent people experience suffering. This story clearly tells
 that suffering is not from God nor even His will but from the devil or just the consequences of people’s sinfulness
or immoral actions.
2. Psalms – the book of Psalms is the hymn book and prayer book of the Bible. Composed by different authors over
a long period of time, these hymns and prayers were collected and used by the Israelites in their worship, and
eventually this collection was included in their Scriptures. These religious poems are of many kinds: there are
hymns of praise, and worship of God; prayers for help, protection and salvation; pleas for forgiveness; songs of
thanksgiving for God’s blessings; and petitions for the punishment of enemies. These prayers are both personal
and national; some portray the most intimate feelings of one person, while others represent the needs and feelings
of all the people of God. The psalms were used by Jesus, qouted by the writers of the New Testament, and became
the treasured book of worship of the Christian Church from its beginning.
3. Proverbs – The book of Proverbs is a collection of moral and religious teachings in the form of saying and
proverbs. Much of it has to do with practical, everyday concerns. It begins with the reminder that “To have
knowledge, you must first have reverence for the Lord,” and then goes on to deal with matters not only of
religious morality, but also of common teachers about what a wise person will do in certain situations. Some of
these concern family relations, others, business dealings. Some deal with matters of etiquette in social
relationships, and others with the need of self-control. Much is said about such qualities as humility, patience,
respect for the poor, and loyalty to friends.
4. Ecclesiastes – one of the strangest and misunderstood books of the Bible. This book when read for the first time,
is generally interpreted as depressing and dismal. Many readers do not return and reread the book because of the
writer’s seemingly dismal outlook on life. Many are quick to label Ecclesiastes as cynical. The author, called
Qoheleth, appears to contradict many of the teachings of the other books of the Bible The book of Ecclesiastes
contains accurate observation and advice of a priceless value. One of its very good teaching is that  There is always
time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).  Do not rush or worry about when to do things but seek God’s guidance or
wisdom since God’s time is not advance nor late but always ticks on time.
5. Song of Songs – the Song of Songs is a series of love poems, for the most part in the form of songs addressed by a
man to a woman, and by the woman to the man. In some translations, the book is called The Song of Solomon,
because it is attributed to Solomon in the Hebrew title. These songs have often interpreted by Jews as a picture of
the relationship between God and his people, and by Christians as a picture of the relationship between Christ and
the Church. Also, The Song of Songs provide practical guidelines in seeking intimate partners in God’s
household.
6. Book of Wisdom – This book points out that people should seek wisdom from God rather than relying on their
human intelligence since all endeavors apart from God is meaningless and can even lead to one’s damnation.
Human intelligence apart from God often ends in foolishness while wisdom from God leads one to a righteous life
and true meaning of life.
7. Sirach – This book also emphasized the only source of true wisdom which is God; that faith, fear, and trust in the
Lord is wisdom. From this, comes the other values that should guide the human person in his/her relationship with
others and how he/she sees life and other realities around her/him. Therefore seek this wisdom from the Lord and
let it enlightens and guides your relationship with God, with others, and your actions towards your journey in life.
 
 Finals Week 3 and 4
The Socio-Political Situation before the coming of Christ

After the Israelites return from the Babylonian exile, there were no longer prophets to remind them of their covenantal
relationship with God. The people who guided them in their worship were the priests. These priests were anointed by God
from the descendants of Levi since during the time of Aaron.  They reconstructed their nation especially the temple or
house of the Lord which was completed in the year 515 BC. (Ezra 6:14 – 16). So aside from the prayer and study of the
Word of God especially the Torah in the Synagogues, they now revived the worship in the Temple which is centered on
the offering of the sacrificial lamb. So the priests especially their high priests are the ones facilitating these worships.

The Synagogue (Greek sunagogos – “place of meeting”) was the center

primarily for teaching the Scriptures especially the Torah (Law) as well as
for prayer and worship when the Temple was not yet reconstructed.
        In the Catholic Worship, we also have the Word of God (Readings and
homily) for the first part and the offering of the Lamb, (Jesus through His
body and blood) on the altar. 
      
The Socio-Political Situation before the coming of Christ
       The Persian Empire was defeated by the Greeks under Alexander the
Great in 330 B.C. and later the strong Roman Empire ended the Greek’s ruling in
146 B.C. and they captured Jerusalem in 60 B.C.
Israel and most of the Middle East was under the control of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire assigned
a governor/procurator in these countries like Pontius Pilate in Israel. The Tax collectors are no longer collecting alms for
the poor and the temple treasury but also for the Roman Empire. These countries may have their kings like Herod in Judea
and their own ruling bodies like the Sanhedrin but ultimately, they were under the rule of the Roman Empire.
Institutions before and during the time of Christ
 Worshipping places
1. Synagogue – Meeting place for prayer and studying the Word of God especially the Torah (Law).

2. Temple – place to offer the lamb offering, where the Ark of the Covenant is located.                                   
The Sanhedrin (Ruling body) – headed by the High Priest
            A “senate” or “assembly” composed of seventy members drawn from the various parties and the important people
(the elders) of the land. It was the main governing body of the Jews and had control of all religious matters. It has also a
judicial function.

Different Religious Groups of the Israelites during the Time of Jesus

       There was a point in the history of the Israelites that their different views on how they should maintain their good
relationship with the God led to their division into different religious groups.  Sometimes they were often very hostile in
treating each other.
 a. The Sadducees (Hebrew: Saduq, “the righteous ones”)
          Their name was derived from Zadok, the chief priest installed by Solomon (1 Kings 2:35). They controlled the
priesthood until the 2nd BCE. They belonged to the priestly class/families. They represented the wealthy aristocracy.
The High Priest, the head of the Sadducees, was a political appointee and was regarded as the symbol of true religious
observance. As priests, they focused on the acts of worship in the temple.
 b. The Scribes
            They were trained in the preservation of knowledge and interpretation of the Jewish scriptures. They studied the
Pentateuch (the Law) and wrote the legal opinions regarding its proper interpretation. They were called  “teachers of the
Law” (Rabbi or Rabboni) or “doctors of the law”. Mark 12:38-39 describes them as people who loved to wear long robes
of distinction and sat in places of honor.
 c. The Pharisees (Hebrew: P’rushim or perushim, “separated ones,” “parush,” “to be separated”)
         The Pharisees were the most dominant group. They were known as strict and literal interpreters of the Jewish Law
(Torah). They tended to become separatist in all aspects of life because of their insistent observance of the Torah. They
became overly legalistic and hypocritical.
 d. The Essenes
        This group withdrew from the society and lived a monastic way of life and practiced celibacy. They believed that
they are the remnants of the chosen people of God. They are believed to be the writers of the scrolls which were copies of
the Sacred Scriptures found near the Dead sea in 1947.
e.   The Zealots
            This was a revolutionary group against the Roman Empire who ruled Israel at that time.  The grouped believed that
they were chosen by God to deliver the Jewish people from the Roman domination. They were called “sicarii,” (dagger
men) because for them the violence was the only way to achieve independence. The Zealots were responsible for the great
revolt in 66-70 C.E that ended in the destruction of Jerusalem.
            God’s plan to save humanity which actually started with the calling of Abraham is about to be unfolded. As
the Israelites were divided into many religious groups and in dispute  on what group was the chosen people of God
or will be saved, the perfect prophet, perfect king and perfect high priest was emerging in the person of Jesus
Christ. This will be  heralded by John the Baptist.
John the Baptist: "YHWH has been gracious"
          He is the son of the priest Zechariah and Elizabeth. His life would be a model of austerity. He called upon his
listeners to mend their sinful ways in preparation of the coming of Messiah and the coming of the Kingdom of God. He
performed an act of ritual cleansing called baptism (Greek ‘baptizein’, “to immerse”), which involved immersion in the
waters of the Jordan River. This “baptism of repentance” was accompanied by confessions of sins.
Mary in the Gospels
The name “Mary” is derived from “Miriam” in Hebrew, or in Aramaic “Mariam” and is translated “Maria” in Greek or
Latin. It is a common name in the first-century Israel/Palestine, and is the most frequently used woman’s name in the New
Testament.

The Immaculate Concepcion of Mary

         The Immaculate Concepcion means that from the first moment of her conception in the womb of her mother, Mary
was graced and thus preserved from all stain of original sin. She was “filled with grace” that is, made holy by God’s
presence. This privilege was given to her in view of her role to become the mother of Jesus the Savior of the human race.
Thus Jesus was also preserved from the stain of sin.
         The angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary at the Annunciation reveals that she was “highly favoured by God with His
grace as an unmerited gift”. Mary was given a unique grace, a free and unmerited gift of holiness from God, to prepare her
for her special role to be mother of God’s Son-made-man, our Redeemer Jesus Christ (Lk. 1:31-35). This Solemnity is
celebrated on December 8.
Stages of the coming out of the Gospels and the Summary of the Four Gospels
Three Stages of the Formation of the Gospels
        Same with the process of the coming out of the Old Testament scriptures, the New Testament Books especially
the Gospels also have undergone three stages.
1. Historical Jesus Christ

The peak of God’s Self-revelation to humanity was the coming of Jesus. He is the agent of renewal of the covenant
between God and His people. He established a new covenant through His words and deeds. Jesus proclaimed the coming
of the Kingdom of God which is the reign of love, justice, peace, and the well-being of people. The climax of His ministry
was the giving of Himself on the Cross and His Resurrection and Ascension into heaven.
Most of the information about Jesus comes from the New Testament, particularly the four Gospels. However, there are
several references to Him in secular literature; for example, the Jewish writer Josephus and the Roman authors Suetonius,
Tacitus and Pliny. It is an unchallenged historical fact that Jesus was a real human being, a Jew who lived at a particular
time and place in history.
2. Oral Tradition: The Apostolic Preaching

After the death of Jesus, His followers continued the mission He entrusted to them. They preached, taught, and exorcised
as Jesus did. They travelled around the Roman world preaching the message of Jesus with missionary zeal.
3. The Writing Stage

            The writing of the New Testament Books especially the Gospels started only after 50 A.D. This was so since the
Israelites prefer oral preaching than writing. The Disciples only thought of writing about Jesus and His message after
realizing that Jesus did not come back soon to judge the world as they expected.
           Though, one of the Letters of St. Paul might have been written earlier than the Gospels, let us focus first on the
Four Gospels.
Note: The writers of the four Gospels are called Evangelists from “Evangelion”, a Greek word for gospel which
means good news.

The Task of the Evangelists

            Aside from the oral tradition as their bases, the evangelists gathered their data from materials called pericopes, the
small independent units of stories, parables, sayings, etc., of Jesus compiled by the Christians. The evangelists were
generally editors of these pericopes. In their tasks as recorders of the Gospel tradition of behalf of the Church, they were
especially guided by God’s spirit, and experience called the gift of inspiration.
 
The following is a quick look at the most common information about the four Gospels that most biblical scholars accept:
GOSPEL
MARK MATTHEW LUKE JOHN
information
Author (based on John Mark of physician &
apostle John
tradition) Jerusalem companion of Paul
bilingual (Aramaic & bilingual (Aramaic & Gentile Christian
the “beloved
Implied author Greek) Christian of Greek) early Jewish convert; well
disciple”
the 2nd generation; Christian educated Greek
mixed: mostly Jews,
wealthier Gentile
Audience mostly Gentiles, better educated Jews some Gentiles,
Christians
Samaritans, etc.
Galilee; or Antioch in
Place of Writing Rome Greece Galilee or Syria;
Syria
Time of Writing 60’s or early 70’s late 70’s or 80’s mid to late 80’s main edition 90’s
Jesus, the
Jesus, the Suffering Jesus, the savior of Jesus, the “Word of
Image of Christ “Emmanuel,” the
servant all humanity God”
expected Messiah
Number of Chapters 16 28 24 21

The Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke

            The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they present many of the
same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes exactly the same wording, in contrast to the very different picture
of Jesus presented in the Gospel of John. Most scholars believe that these gospels share the same point of view and are
clearly linked. In a sense, they view Jesus “with the same eye” thus the term synoptic or synonymous.

Finals Week 5 & 6

 
JESUS AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD
INTRODUCTION:
Jesus, also called Jesus Christ, Jesus of Galilee, or Jesus of Nazareth, (born in Bethlehem—died c. AD 30, Jerusalem), is
regarded by most Christians as the Incarnation of God. (Incarnation means” in carne” or “enfleshed” or having a body. In
other words, God becoming human)
Most people in ancient Israel had only one name. They only have what we think as the “first name” (or “given name”), but
not also a “last name” (or “family name” or “surname”). Actually, Jesus’ name in Hebrew was probably Yeshua
(equivalent to “Joshua”), which in the New Testament is translated by the Greek Ιησούς (or Iesous), from which we get
Latin Iesus and English “Jesus.” Which simply means “God saves.”

IHS is a symbolic abbreviation that refers to Jesus. It comes from the first three letters in the Greek spelling of Jesus’
name (Iota-Eta-Sigma).
 
“Biography” of Christ
People with similar names were distinguished either by their geographical origin (for example, “Jesus of Nazareth” or
“Jesus the Nazarene” or “Jesus the Galilean” or their occupation (“the carpenter or the names of their fathers (e.g. “Jesus,
the son of Joseph,” the carpenter’s son” – Matthew 13:55); or sometimes their siblings (“the brother of James”) and rarely
their mothers (“Jesus, son of Mary”)
 
“Titles” are different from names. Today, people have titles (e.g. President, Senator, Judge, Doctor, Professor, etc.) In the
ancient world, certain people were given titles to designate their specific roles or responsibilities. We take a glance at
some of the basic background of Jesus of Nazareth:
 
Full Name (English): Jesus of Nazareth
Name (Hebrew): YHSWA, Yehoshua, Yesu, Yeshua Minetzeret
Name (Greek): Iesous ho Nazoraios (Iēsous o nazōraios)
Name (Latin): Iesus Nazarenus
Birthplace: Bethlehem
Year of Birth: Approx. before 6-4 BCE (Based on Herod’s death)
Hometown: Nazareth in Galilee
Country: Israel/Palestine
Language: Aramaic
Possible Occupation: Craftsman/woodworker, farmer, fisherman
Mary and Joseph (Joseph was a craftsman, Greek,
Parents:
“tekton”)
Start of Ministry about 29-30 years old (Lukan Gospel)
Age at the time of death: About 32-33 years old
Religion: “Judaism”
Traditionally celebrated
December 25
birthday by Catholics:
Charges and accusations leading
treason, blasphemy, violation of Jewish laws
to His death:
Manner of execution: crucifixion

 
Titles of Jesus in the New Testament
            The following titles are attributed to Jesus of Nazareth, with their significantly different origins and meanings:

     Messiah/Christ
These two titles are the same, both meaning “the anointed one”, from the Hebrew verb MASHAH and the
Greek CHRIO, “to anoint, smear with oil, pour oil over someone.” The New Testament always uses Greek
translation CHRISTOS (“Christ”) and the title refers only to Jesus. (In the Gospels, christos is mentioned 7 times in Mark;
16 in Matthew; 12 in Luke; and 19 in John.)

     Lord/LORD
This title was originally used to respect people with superior status, so it simply meant “Sir” (based on the Greek Kyrie).
It is derived from the Hebrew adonai which means “Lord” or “master”. 

 Holy One
Originally, this title is a common circumlocution which refers always and only to God in Old Testament, that is, a phrase
used to avoid speaking God’s name, which later was also applied as a title for Jesus. (e.g. Jesus is called the “Holy One of
God” by unclean spirits.

 Son of God/God’s Son

This title originally implies a person’s special and intimate relationship with God. For instance, Jesus referred to God
as Abba (“Father”) which implies His closeness to His Father. Paul calls Jesus the “Son of God”
 Son of Man
In Aramaic and Greek, this title is more literally stated as “son of the human” which originally emphasizes someone’s
humanity. For instance, it usually refers to human beings in contrast to God or angels. The title is used 85 times, mostly in
the four Gospels and almost always by Jesus referring to Himself.

 Son of David
Literally, this title originally refers to the descendants of David, the most famous king of ancient Israel, but as a title it
later has a several meanings. As a title, “Son of David” is not used very often referring to Jesus
        King of the Jews
Apparently this title connotes a political and military leadership of the Jewish people. The title “King of the Jews” is
applied to Jesus, once at His birth and 17 times at His trial and crucifixion (Read Mark 15:2, and in all 4 Gospels.)
 
Above the head of the crucified Jesus was an inscription that said “Jesus the Nazorean, King of the Jews” from which the
common abbreviation INRI (from the Latin “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorom”)    
                                  
        Prophet
A “prophet” is a chosen messenger or spokesperson for God. The role of a prophet is to speak for God’s words and
perform miraculous and/or symbolic actions in order to convey God’s messages to the people. In the synoptic Gospels,
Jesus compares John the Baptist to Elijah a prophet (Matthew 11:7-19; Luke 7:24-35).
 

       Rabbi/Rabbouni/Teacher
The titles understood in Hebrew as “Rabbi” and “Rabbouni in Aramaic were understood as “my master” or “my teacher”.
These were common titles of respect during the time of Jesus, especially for teachers. These titles are mentioned 3 times in
Mark, 4 in Matthew, and 8 in John. The equivalent of this title in Greek is didaskalos, “teacher”.

      Savior
This title was originally used for God or any human being who would “save” people from present or future dangers. It is
also applied to an emperor who serves as a “benefactor” by providing material benefits to his people. The name “Jesus”
(or “Joshua” or “Yeshua”) means “God saves” (cf. Matthew 1:21) and the verb “to save” is frequently applied to Jesus’
ministry (Read for instance, Matthew 8:25; Mark 13:13; Luke 7:50; John 3:17; among others)

       Emmanuel/Immanuel
This title is derived from a Hebrew name which is translated “God is with us.” This expression implies God’s saving
presence among his people with the birth of a child.

 Logos/Word
This is a title used only in John. The Greek word LOGOS refers not only to a single “word”, but also to a “phrase”, this
title that alludes especially to the Old Testament story of God creating the world merely by speaking in Genesis. The
statement by John, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” is seemingly similar to Matthew’s use of “Emmanuel”.

       Lamb of God
The expression “Lamb of God” is only used in the Gospel of John as John the Baptist points to Jesus. John relates the
detail of Jesus’ death that occurred at the very same time that the Passover lambs were slaughtered in the Jerusalem
Temple. It means that Jesus Himself replaces the sacrificial lambs, whose blood was necessary for the forgiveness of sins
in the Jewish sacrificial system

       Shepherd of Israel/Good Shepherd

Jesus calls Himself the “Good Shepherd” in the Gospel of John. New Testament writings similarly refer to Jesus as “the
great shepherd and guardian of your souls”, and the “chief shepherd” while the Book or Revelation explicitly combines
references to Jesus as both Lamb and shepherd (Revelation 7:17).

How did Jesus work for the Kingdom of God?

        The Mission of Jesus is the fulfilment of the Kingdom of God here on earth. In working out for this mission, Jesus
carried it through teaching/preaching, healing and table fellowship.

1.        Teaching
At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus preached in the synagogues. Here, people gathered each Sabbath for the chanting
of the Psalms and the reading of the Torah.
The Kingdom of God
            The Good News of the Kingdom of God was the central theme of Jesus’ preaching. This Good News or the
Kingdom of God refers to the well – being of people which is what God wants for all. This means that the Kingdom of
God is a situation where Love, Justice, Peace, Compassion, Harmony, and other values reign. A situation where people are
really happy and there are no much conflicts, problems, and sufferings in life. This is why Jesus went around preaching
these values, healing people, and challenging authorities who are corrupt and selfish. Jesus even challenged people to love
one’s enemies. This is really the will of God for all His creatures. People did not understand Jesus’ teachings since their
view of a kingdom is more of a ruling of someone who is powerful and can dominate others. 
            The observance of the Law or God’s  law as a way for the kingdom is not more of a submission to God’s power but
more of paving us the way for the true or complete freedom of the human person; freedom from all the bad forces that can
manipulate the person and for her/him to find the true ways for human well – being and bountiful life. This is why Jesus
greatly encouraged people to undergo Metanoia, a change of one’s world-view which paves the way for one to practice the
values of the Kingdom centered on LOVE.
            In teaching about the Kingdom, Jesus had to use many forms for people to get His message, and one of these is
through parable.
Parables of Jesus
 Parable can be defined as any figure of speech containing an arresting and illuminating image, allegory and analogy.
However, the Hebrew word for parable, “mashal” also means “riddle”, something to puzzle the mind. Indeed, Jesus
intended that His stories would strike the mind of His audience to discover the truth behind the story and to act according
to the message.
Here are some of the parables of Jesus that He taught to His people.
 
The Parable of the Sower The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
The Parable of the Mustard Seed The Parable of Talents
The Parable of the Prodigal Son The Parable of the Lost Coin
The Parable of the Ten Virgins The Parable of the Lost Sheep
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet The Parable of the Friend at Midnight
 
    2. Healing
Part of working for the well-being of people during Jesus’ time was healing them from sickness and other forms
of sufferings and oppression. Jesus, out of compassion performed this not only to free people from their physical suffering
but also to make them accepted by their community or society. People at that time thought that the sick and the poor were
sinners and so they were not welcome in their community. Jesus cured a lot of people such as the blind, the lepers, the
sick, and many others. He even raised Lazarus from the dead. So, the healing miracles of Jesus was not to show people
His power but for them to experience the Kingdom of God and this was rooted in God’s love and compassion.

3.   Table Fellowship

            In His parables, Jesus often likened the “Kingdom of God” to a banquet. In Jewish culture, an offer of food meant
an offer of friendship. An offer of food also signifies the desire to restore a broken relationship. Whenever  Jesus sat at the
table to share food with people from all walks of life, He assured them that the “kingdom of God” is offered to them, a
reconciliation or friendship with God. God, in His graciousness, invites all to His banquet, the righteous and the sinners
alike. It is not merit that qualifies a person to sit at the table, but the benevolence of the host. This is why the “Kingdom”
is a gift, out of God’s goodness, and the recipient only has to accept this gift with open heart, and a childlike disposition.
This is the reason why the privileged guests in this “kingdom-banquet” are the sinners, the poor, the simple, and the
outcasts, for they are the ones that welcomed the gift of the “Kingdom” with a childlike heart.
            The Last Supper was a table fellowship par excellence. As Jesus broke the bread and shared the cup with His
disciples, He did not just illustrate His passion and death. He also gave a portrait of His life, for throughout His ministry,
He had always been “bread for others”, selflessly serving the needy.
The peak of Jesus’ mission was the giving of Himself on the cross which was culminated by his resurrection and
ascension into heaven. We celebrate Jesus giving of Himself Him through the Holy Eucharist.
 
The Commissioning of the Disciples
            These are the words of Jesus to His disciples before He left them. He gave them the power to preach and to teach;
a task and mission that they accepted and which was handed on to the whole Church. Today, the Church faithfully
continues this mandate which she has received from her founder, through diverse ministries and apostolates. One of these
ministries is Religious Education in a school setting.