CONSCIENCE

CONSCIENCE

The Final Arbiter

People’s Expressions
What do people mean when they say:

 “If conscience is your friend, it doesn’t matter who is your enemy; if conscience is your enemy, it doesn’t matter who is your friend.”
 “He is a conscientious teacher”?
 “She is a prisoner of her conscience”?
 “My conscience is clear?”
 “You have a guilty conscience?

Popular Understanding of
Conscience

 A sense of right and wrong
 A kind of inner voice (tingog gikan sa kinahiladman) which guides us in our moral life
 God’s voice inside us telling us what to do. It makes us feel bad when we’ve done something wrong.

Guilt Feelings?
 The experience of conscience often is associated with guilt feelings: “Nakonsensya ko bay” (“My conscience is bothering me”). “Wala ko makatulog kay nahasol ko sa akong konsensya” (“I have sleepless nights because my conscience tells me what I did was wrong”).
 In the moral development of a person, guilt feelings are important. However, we need to be careful because some guilt feelings are not healthy.

Psychological Conscience?
 PC is related to feelings of moral approval or disapproval. Practically, all of us experience at times either the security of some inner approval of one’s decision/action, or the anxiety of a condemnation within the depths of our being.
 Guilt feelings stirred up by the inner mechanism of psychological conscience are widely discussed by psychiatrists. For example, Sigmund Freud, the father of modern psychoanalysis, explained the reality of the “superego” in the person’s psyche.
 The long period of childhood during which the growing human being lives in dependence on his parents leaves behind it a precipitate, which forms within his ego a special agency in which this parental influence is prolonged. It has received the name of superego…
 …The parents’ influence naturally includes not only the personalities of the parents themselves but also the racial, national, and family traditions handed on through them, as well as the demands of the immediate social milieu which they represent”
 -Sigmund Freud, An Outline of Psychoanalysis-
 Freud identified conscience with the superego, as if conscience were merely an externally imposed set of moral rules which made us feel guilty when we disobeyed them. The superego, which is the result of a process of psychological conditioning, would serve as the policeman of the personal life, the agent of enforced socialization.
 Psychological Conscience may be either realistic and healthy or illusory and pathological. It might happen that guilt feelings will call our attention to a situation or an action for which we are and ought to be truly guilty. And if so, they are helpful guides for moral human living.
 But the exact opposite may also be the case. For whatever reason, the person might feel guilty about something that he should not repent. For example, a woman who had been trained from childhood to be submissive might feel that she is being immoral if she does not do just what her husband desires.
 Therefore, guilt feelings do not make an accurate barometer of the personal moral life. In fact, some people would even participate in wide scale graft and corruption without feeling guilty.
 Oftentimes, the commands and prohibitions of the superego do not arise from the perception of the intrinsic goodness or badness of a contemplated action. Rather, it comes from the need to maintain the approval of authority figures, like parents or teachers.
 Psychological conscience is largely influenced by non-rational factors, and it is not unusual for a conscience like this to condemn what is not wrong or to approve what is not right.

Holy Scripture on Conscience

The word conscience, in Greek syneidesis, is of Hellenistic origin and has no Hebrew counterpart. Thus, we should not be surprise if the word conscience does not occur in the Old Testament, except for 1 Sam 25:31 and Wisdom 17:11. But the idea of conscience (if not the term) receives generous attention in the pages of the Hebrew Scripture.

• 1 Sam 25:31 “Then your conscience will not be bothered for having killed without cause or for having taken your own revenge.”
• Wisdom 17:11 “Wickedness is cowardly in itself and stands self-condemned. Someone with a guilty conscience will always imagine things to be worse than they really are.”
• The OT usually employs the word ‘heart’, but also occasionally ‘spirit’, to indicate the inner sanctum where man is alone with his Maker, where his desires and decisions flow:

“Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps 50).
“O, that today you would hear his voice: harden not your hearts” (Ps 95:7f).
“God probes the heart” (Jer 11:20; Prov 21:2; Ps 26:2).

“I will put my law within them, I will write it on their hearts” (Jer 31:33).

 The word “conscience” does not appear in the Gospels. Nevertheless, Jesus warns against the obscuring of conscience when he says: “If the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness” (Mt. 6:23). Conversely, “If your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light” (Lk. 11:36).
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus condemns the righteous Pharisees by quoting Isaiah, “This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”

 And then there is the classic description of conscience (kardia) provided by the writer of John’s letter. He declares:
“This is our way of knowing we are committed to the truth and are at peace before him no matter what our consciences may charge us with; for God is greater than our hearts and all is known to him. Beloved, if our consciences have nothing to charge us with, we can be sure that God is with us” (1 John 3:19-21).
 In his understanding of conscience (syneidesis), Paul insists that even the Gentiles are said to have this awareness of right and wrong, though they lack divine revelation:
“When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them on the day when, according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all” (Rom 2: 14-16).

Church Documents on Conscience
In the documents of the Church, there are different levels of awareness of moral truth to which conscience refers. John Macquarrie identifies and explains the various levels:

1st Level: Particular Moral Conscience
2nd Level: General Moral Conscience
3rd Level: Transcendental Conscience

1st Level
Particular Moral Conscience

PMC refers to a practical judgment terminating a process of moral deliberation. For Saint Thomas, conscience is a judgment of the practical reason, closely connected with the virtue of prudence. It applies the moral law to specific situations. As a practical judgment concerning concrete situations, conscience would tell us: “Do this, shun that” (GS 16).

Note here that conscience is not a matter of feelings of approval or disapproval, but of a reflective moral judgment reached after a process of moral deliberation.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed” (1778).

Similarly in Veritatis Splendor, Pope John Paul II writes: “The judgment of conscience is a practical judgment which makes known what man must do or not do, or which assesses an act already performed by him. It is a judgment which applies to a concrete situation the conviction that one must love and do good and avoid evil” (59).

For example, a man comes to see me and beg for help. He does not seem to be incapable of working, and I choose to give him food and something to drink, but not money. This is a practical judgment. My intellect assesses the situation, my conscience tells me that it would be wrong to refuse him help, but unwise to give him money which he might spend on alcohol.

Here, conscience formulates a moral obligation in the light of the natural law of generosity to the needy. “Whereas the natural law discloses the objective and universal demands of the moral good, conscience is the application of the law to a particular case” (VS 59). It reveals what ought to be done in practice here and now. It is the proximate [subjective] norm of personal morality.

2nd Level
General Moral Conscience

GMC refers to a “broader, more generalized knowledge of right and wrong, of good and bad.” It is a personal awareness of basic moral principles or truths which assist a person in making moral decisions.

“Do good, avoid evil”
“Do to others what you want others do unto you”
“Love God and neighbor”
“Give another person his or her due”

This awareness may easily include the norms that immediately follow from the most basic principles or what we call “secondary norms” such as those of the Ten Commandments.

Vatican II refers to conscience of this level when it affirms that it is through the mediation of conscience that man comes to perceive ever increasingly the unchanging truth and comes to recognize the demands of God’s divine and eternal law (DH 3).

Moreover, it affirms that the voice of God’s law, made known through conscience, calls upon to “love and to do what is good and to avoid evil” (GS 16). It is in this sense of the term that one’s conscience can be said to be an awareness of the law of God written in the human heart.

It is very important to note that conscience does not decide good and evil; it discerns them, more or less accurately. It is not the source of moral law, but a detector. In analogy to radio, it is a receiving set, not the transmitting station.

John Paul II explained: “Conscience is not an independent and exclusive capacity to decide what is good and what is evil. Rather there is profoundly imprinted upon it a principle of obedience vis-à-vis the objective norm which establishes and conditions the correspondence of its decisions with the commands and prohibitions which are at the basis of human behavior” (Veritatis Splendor 60).

3rd Level
Transcendental Conscience

Conscience also is understood as a special and very fundamental mode of self-awareness whereby persons are conscious of themselves as moral beings, called to fulfill their dignity as intelligent and free beings.
“Conscience in this sense is the summons, deep within our being, to be fully the beings God wills us to be and to make ourselves to be, by our own choices and actions, lovers of the true and the good” (William May). This inner drive of the person to seek the truth is what theologians call Transcendental Conscience.

Vatican II refers to this level of conscience when it says:

“In the depths of his conscience, man detects a law which he does not impose upon himself, but which holds him to obedience. Always summoning him to love good and avoid evil, the voice of this law can when necessary speak to his heart more specifically: do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law written by God. To obey it is the very dignity of man; according to it he will be judged” (Gaudium et Spes 16).

In a nutshell, the three levels of conscience are:

PMC: Conscience as a practical judgment about the morality of given acts.
GMC: Conscience as an awareness of the basic principles of morality.
TC: Conscience as an interior summons to fulfill God’s design for the human person.

Summary: The Three Stages of the Formation of the Gospels

Summary: The Three Stages of the Formation of the Gospels

We have traced the three stages of the formation of the Gospels. If we were to assign chronological perimeters to these stages, we can date stage one, Jesus and the Disciples to the 1st 3rd of the first century (30 AD), stage two, the Disciples and the Early Church to the 2nd 3rd of the first century (roughly to 100 AD), and stage 3, the Early Church and the Evangelist to the last 3rd of the 1st century (65AD-100AD).

Jesus (30 AD)

Oral Transmission of the memory of Jesus (30AD-100AD)

And Written Sources (65AD-100AD)

Luke (80-90AD) ------------------------------------------------------------------Theophilus
(Gentile Believers
(80-90AD)

In this schema, we can see that it is Jesus with whom Theophilus is being brought face to face, but Jesus mediated through the memory of the early church and through Luke.

Notice the difference with the Epistles:

Paul (54 AD) ------------ Corinth (54 AD)

The Epistles have basically a one-dimensional historical and literary context. The author, Paul himself is presenting his own message, even when he draws on traditional material, speaks directly to the situation of the recipients.

The Gospels in contrast have 2- or 3-dimensional historical context. They are handing on, now in the permanent form of writing, the sayings of and narratives about Jesus (stage one) that are available to them as they have been preserved in the church’s tradition (stage 2). The Gospel writer’s own contribution (stage 3) is that of selectivity, arrangement, and adaptation according to the spiritual needs of their respective communities.

Having traced the three stages of the formation of the Gospels, let us spell out some important insights.

The first has something to do with the relationship between the four Gospels and the Church. The four Gospels were not presented to the early church as heavenly blueprints to guide them as it stepped out into the world. Rather it was the other way around. The church came first, a community of believers empowered by their faith in Jesus as their risen Lord and by the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit. The Gospels, in a real sense, were the product of the life of the church: The church maintained the memory of Jesus and his mission. The church selected and preserved those moments of Jesus’ life that meant the most to a believer. And from the church came the evangelists, to whom we are indebted for the Gospels. Thus, the Gospels, and the entire NT for that matter, are truly a “book of the church.” The evangelists were not depending simply on their memory but on the faith experience of generations of Christians when they wrote the Gospels.

Second is on Inspiration, that is, the guidance of the Spirit. The focus of Inspiration must not only be the individual but the church itself. The power of the Spirit was present in the preaching, worship and teaching of the church. The power of the Spirit guided the young Christian church as it moved forward toward the future. The power of the Spirit, above all, helped maintain in the church the living memory of Jesus’ words and deeds (WE HAVE SEEN THAT THIS HAPPENED EVEN AMIDST THE TURMOIL AND PERSECUTION OF VARIOUS COMMUNITIES IN DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS AND CULTURES). The power of the Spirit gave the church the authority to keep in mind Jesus’ words and deeds not as a touching memory from the past but as a living presence, a presence that allowed the community to find new relevance in the ministry of Jesus as the church faced new situations.

The power of the Spirit enables the Gospels to present a portrait of Jesus that reveals him as the Risen Lord who is with his church for all times and in all places!

The third insight springs from the 2nd. If we want to know more about Jesus, we must turn to the Gospels. They are the privileged source for the life of Jesus. Anything the church or the individual Christian asserts about Jesus must be authenticated in the light of the Gospels. If a Christian longs to deepen his love for Jesus by knowing more about him, then he must turn finally to the Gospels. There is no other portrait worthy of our faith.

This third insight leads us to the final one. The Gospels have the power to enrich our faith because that precisely is their purpose. As we have noted, the Gospels draw the bulk of their content from the very life of the church. The church preserved those words and deeds of Jesus powerful enough to reach into the heart of the believer so as to give life. As St John aptly puts it, “These are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

So when a believer picks up a Gospel and reads it with a searching faith, he is duplicating the very process by which it came to be written. The Gospels are written “from faith to faith.” “From faith” in the sense that it was the faith of the church that maintained the genuine portrait of who Jesus was and what he was about. “To faith” in the sense that the Gospels were written so that the belief of Christians might intensify as they came face to face with the words and deeds of the Risen Lord.

Thus, to read the Gospels as it was meant to be read involves the very elements that produced it. There are three of them:

1. A CHURCH THAT GIVES MEANING AND CONTEXT FOR WHAT WE READ
2. FAITH THAT FINDS THERE NOURISHMENT AND LIFE
3. THE SPIRIT WHO BREATHES MEANING INTO OUR CHRISTIAN

EXISTENCE.

SYNTHESIS: PENTATEUCHAL STUDIES

SYNTHESIS: PENTATEUCHAL STUDIES

A. The Theme of the Pentateuch
“The theme of the Pentateuch is the PARTIAL FULFILLMENT—which implies also the partial non-fulfillment—of the promise to or blessing of the patriarchs. The promise or blessing is both the divine initiative in a world where human initiatives always lead to disaster and a re-affirmation of the primal intentions for man.”

B. The Primal Divine Intention for Man
Where do we find the “primal divine intention for man”? Where is it stated? In:

Gen. 1:26—Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."

Gen. 1:28—And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."

Hence, God’s intention for man is that he is of the image and likeness of God and God has blessed him. The blessing consists in “becoming fruitful” and “multiplying” and “filling the earth” and “having dominion over it.”

C. Man’s Betrayal
But we know from our study of Gen. 2-11 that this divine intention for man was repeatedly betrayed by man. “No matter how drastic man’s sin becomes, destroying what God has made good and bringing the world to the brink of uncreation, God’s grace never fails to deliver man from the consequences of his sin. Even when man responds to a fresh start with the old pattern of sin, God’s commitment to this world remains firm, and sinful man experiences the favor of God as well as his righteous judgment.”

Thus,

In Gen. 2-3—it is the story of the man and the woman—they eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (fall); then, they are sent out of the garden (righteous judgment); but, they are clothed (God’s favor).

In Gen. 4—it is the story of Cain and Abel—Cain murders Abel (sin); then, Cain is cursed and made to be a wanderer and fugitive (righteous judgment); but, he is given a mark (‘ot) of protection (God’s favor).

In Gen. 6-9—it is the story of the sons of God—they do violence (sin); then, the flood occurs (righteous judgment); but, Noah and his family are saved through the ark; a new covenant is negotiated; a rainbow is placed in the sky (all signs of God’s favor).

In Gen. 11—it is the story of people who wish to remain united—but they also wish to go up to heaven by making a tower and so make a name for themselves (sin); then, the tower is destroyed and they are scattered (righteous judgment); but, in Gen. 12, Abram is called by God to start a new beginning (God’s grace).

D. God’s Primal Intention for Man Specified in the Promise to Abram

With Gen. 11, the primal divine intention therefore of “becoming fruitful” and “multiplying” and “filling the earth” and “having dominion over it” now becomes more specific, more concrete, as found in the promise to Abram. The promise is nothing then but the blessing given by God to man in Gen. 1, but only more specific, made concrete to one man, Abram, and whose goal is universal—as universal as Gen. 1. God says to Abram: “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.”

E. The Three Elements of the Promise or Blessing

God’s promise or blessing to Abram is a re-affirmation of the divine intention for man. This promise or blessing has three elements: POSTERITY, DIVINE-HUMAN RELATIONSHIP and LAND. The posterity or descendant-element of the promise is dominant in Gen. 12-50, the relationship-element of the promise is dominant in Exodus and Leviticus, the land-element in Numbers and Deuteronomy.

1. Gen. 12-50

We need not have to rehearse the Abraham story, the Jacob story and the Joseph story, but certainly the focus was on posterity. We recall the barrenness of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and the fraternal rivalries that endangered the life of one or more of the heirs of the promise, and the various famines of Canaan. These threatened the survival of the patriarchal family of their fruitfulness, of their multiplying and increasing; these prevented the rapid growth of the Abrahamic family, but never negating the fulfillment of the promise, the promise of posterity.

Here, the thematic elements of the land and of divine-human relationship take a subsidiary role.

The land that is to be “given” to the Abrahamic family is indeed “shown” to Abraham, and explored (12:5-9; 13:7) and lived in by the patriarchs, but it remains the property of the Canaanites. On the whole, the patriarchal narratives take place outside the promised land almost as much as inside it (Abram goes to Egypt; Jacob goes to Haran; Jacob and Joseph in Egypt). The heirs of the promise at the end of the Book of Genesis are firmly outside the land. The promise is repeatedly affirmed, but except in the slightest degree (one burial plot—23:17-20 and a piece of land for the building of an altar—33:19ff.) it remains no more than a promise.

As for divine-human relationship, it remains variable and provisional. Gen. 17’s covenant is essentially a “covenant to be God to you and to your descendants.” Elsewhere, the relationship is expressed as a “being with” (26:3,28; 28:15,20; 31:5; 35:3; 39:2,21). In brief, the nature of the divine-human relationship has not been set, although it has begun to take effect.

2. Exodus and Leviticus
It is in these books that the promise of God’s relationship with Abraham’s descendants is most clearly brought out. In the Exodus event and the Sinai revelation, it becomes plain what the promise meant by its words, “I will bless you,” “I will make my covenant between me and you,” and “I will be your God.”

In the Book of Exodus, the going out of Egypt, the Exodus event, is initiated by acts that spring from the divine-human relationship. It is the God whose name is “I am who am,” who hears the cry of the Hebrews in Egypt. It is the God whose name is “I am who am” who commissions Moses, who will be with Moses in bringing forth “my people” out of Egypt “to serve God upon the mountain” (3:10ff). Likewise, the divine-human relationship is seen when God reveals himself and says “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob…I will deliver you, and I will take my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am Yahweh your God who brought you out” (6:2-8). Throughout the confrontation with Pharaoh, Israel is described as “my people” who is destined to serve (worship) Yahweh: “Let my people go, that they may serve me.” Even in the transition materials, Exo 16-19, the relationship is questioned and affirmed. See Exo. 17:1-7—“Is Yahweh among us or not?”
In the Sinai event, God says to Israel, “You shall be my own possession among all peoples” (19:5). The people shall be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” to Yahweh. And in the Decalogue, the relationship is expressed by “I am Yahweh you God who brought you out of Egypt, out of bondage” (20:2).

The Book of Leviticus “spells out in detail the means by which the relationship now established is to be maintained. The regulation of ritual worship is its almost exclusive interest; its presuppositions are that men will wish to offer gifts to God, will sin against God, will want to know the will of God for everyday life. That is to say, Leviticus depicts a community exploring its relationship with God.”

The preservation of divine-human relationship is expressed best in Leviticus’s exhortation: “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them…I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people. I am Yahweh you God” (Lev.26:3,12ff.).

The promise of progeny is found only in Chapter one of Exodus, but thereafter the promise is only implicitly alluded to. The promise of land though more prominent, nevertheless appears only in scattered allusions throughout Exodus and Leviticus.

3. Numbers and Deuteronomy
In these books, the patriarchal promise most in evidence is land. Their orientation and movement is towards the land, the promise that is partly fulfilled, but to a large extent unfulfilled. The Book of Numbers depicts this orientation and movement toward the land.

As far as Deuteronomy is concerned, it goes without saying that everything focuses upon the land. Among its most characteristic phrases are “the land/ground/gates/cities/and the like” which Yahweh your/our God gives you” occurs 34 time. Deuteronomy’s common expression, “Yahweh your/our God,” 300 times, emphasizes the permanency of the relationship, the constant reference to “commandments,” “statutes,” “judgments” along with exhortations to “love” God (11 times) and “covenant” (23 times) designate the character of the relationship.

“So even at the point of the imminent fulfillment of the promise of land, the promise as a whole, in all its other elements (progeny/relationship) has not become an inalienable possession of Israel’s, but as much a challenge as a promise, a promise that can threatened and even thwarted by its recipients. Only the fact that it is Yahweh’s promise can create any confidence in its continuing fulfillment.”

F. Summary
In summary, the divine promise or blessing to the patriarchs, while frequently alluded to in each of its form throughout the Pentateuch, presents one or other of its elements more prominently in various books.

But remember that the promise is partly fulfilled. There remains the future where the promise will be all the more fulfilled. It is good to repeat and emphasize what was said in the beginning: that in the face of human initiatives that always lead to disaster, God’s initiative is presented over and over again. The story of the Pentateuch may well be the story of man who often remains sinful and of God who changes his mind and so forgives man and restores him to grace and freedom. For God is “I am who am”—the name of God whose meaning is the God over all other gods who is active and helping, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

THE MEANING OF INSPIRED SCRIPTURES

THE MEANING OF INSPIRED SCRIPTURES

THE INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE IN THE CHURCH, The Pontifical Biblical Commission (1993)



The Literal Sense
 It is necessary in Biblical Interpretation
 It is that which is directly expressed by the inspired human authors. Hence, it is also called author-meaning.
 How does one arrive at the author’s intended meaning? One has to ask the right questions in order to get at the author-meaning.

 Two basic categories of good exegetical questions:
a) questions of content (what is said)
b) questions of context (why it is said)

 The questions of context are two kinds
a) Historical—has to do both with:
1. the historical setting of a document (e.g., the city of Corinth, its geography, people, economic and socio-political situation),
2. the specific occasion of the document (i.e., why it was written, e.g., Gal. 2:11-14)
b) The literary context—has to do with why a given thing was said at a given point in the narrative. For example, the Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Lk. 2:41-52)

One key question for interpretation is: Why did Luke place this account between the infancy and public ministry accounts? An exegete can perceive that by placing the episode of the Finding of the Child Jesus at this point of the narrative, Luke has constructed a very persuasive Christological sequence. In the Annunciation, an angel proclaims that Jesus is God’s Son (Lk. 1:35); at age 12 Jesus, when speaking for the first time, makes clear that God is His Father (Lk. 2:29); at age 30 at the beginning of His public ministry, God’s own voice from heaven says, “You are my beloved Son” (Lk. 3:22-23).

 The questions of content are basically four kinds:
a) Textual criticism—the determination of the actual wording of the author
b) Lexical data—vocabulary and meaning of words (e.g., Gen. 2:20)
c) Grammatical data—the relationship of words to one another (e.g., Gen. 2:20)
d) Historical-cultural background—the relationship of words and ideas to the background and culture of the author and his readers (e.g., Gen. 2:23)

Thus, the aim to exegesis is to come up with a clear understanding of the author’s original intention.
Two Elements: the author and his readers

The Spiritual Sense
 The Spiritual Sense is the meaning expressed by the biblical texts when read:
1. under the influence of the Holy Spirit,
2. in the context of the paschal mystery of Christ
3. and of the new life in the Spirit

Thus, one can discover another meaning of the text more than what the human author originally intended.
For example, 2 Sam. 7:12-13 speaks of God’s promise to David through the prophet Nathan that his son shall sit on his throne and his reign shall be everlasting. Originally, this would refer to the succeeding sons of David to seat on his throne.

But in the light of Jesus event, this would refer to Christ who rules forever, not only on the earthly throne of David. This was not intended by the original author of 2 Samuel.

There is a profound element of continuity as well as a move to a different level.

This Spiritual Sense is also seen in the typologies like Adam as the figure of Christ (Rom. 5:14), the flood as the figure of baptism (1 Pet. 3:20-21), etc.

The Fuller Sense
 The Fuller Sense (sensus plenior) is defined as a deeper meaning of the text, intended by God but not clearly expressed by the human author. The Fuller Sense can be found in the biblical text when one studies the text in light of:
1. other biblical texts
2. the authentic doctrinal tradition (official teachings of the Magisterium)

Examples:
1. The context of Mt. 1:23 gives a Fuller Sense to the prophecy of Isa. 7:14 in regard to the virgin who will conceive.
2. The Patristic and conciliar teaching about the Trinity expresses the Fuller Sense of the teaching of the New Testament regarding God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
3. The definition of original sin by the Council of Trent provided the Fuller Sense of Paul’s teaching in Rom. 5:12-21.

This affirms our belief that through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, given the new context of our times and the succeeding generation, the text will bring our fresh meanings that had lain hidden in the original context. In this way the Bible continues to speak through all generations at different periods of history.

THE BIRTH OF JOHN

THE BIRTH OF JOHN

(Lk. 1:57-66)
Advent C
December 23, 2009

Maayong Gabie sa tanan!

• Na a koy duha ka trivia mahitungod kang John the Baptist. Una, sa kadaghang mga santos sa simbahan the church never ever celebrated the birthday of the saints. We celebrate the day they died because we believe that’s when they entered God’s Kingdom. But except for two, for Mary and John the Baptist. Pangkaduha, dili karun ang bday ni John. The birth of John the Baptist is celebrated on June 24th. You might ask? How did we know his bday? wala mana sa libro, wala pud sa bibliya. And they didn’t have 24th at the time of John the Baptist.

• Well, it’s the same with Jesus. At the winter solstice when the days get the shortest of the year and the year is the darkest. In the darkness of the year, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Then everyday after that, there is more and more and more light. The days get longer, until six months later, the summer solstice. And we put the birth of John the Baptist there. Because john the Baptist said, “he must increase, I must decrease.” So we celebrate near the longest day of the year when there is lots of light and then we notice everyday after, the days get shorter after the birth of John the Baptist. A reminder that we are moving toward the darkness and the need for Jesus. Mao ni and duha ka trivia bahin sa iya…interesting no?

• The name Jonh means “God is Gracious”. And God himself gave the name John at it was revealed to his father Zachary in a vision (Lk. 1:13).

• Nay usa ka philosopher nga si Jean Paul Satre…ingon niya…that people come into the world without purpose for their lives. He was wrong! Because in the birth of John the Baptist God already has a purpose for his children before they come into this world, and so the challenge of life is for them to discover this purpose and to be faithful to its demands. Kitang tanan diri nga nagsimba karun ug katong wala pud diri nay purpose sa kinabuhi. We are made for a reason. Ang uban nakita na nila unsay ilang purpose sa kinabuhi u gang uban pud wala pakita. Para saw ala pa nakakita challenge yourself to find it because that is the only thing you will be happy for the rest of your life.

• Christ was born with a purpose…to save us and not to destroy us…and our purpose also is to praise and worship God. ang atong ebanghelyo karun naghagit kanato nga kita pud unta mahimong mga John the Baptist karung panahuna. Kita unta ang instrument nga makaila sila kang Kristo. A reminder that the task of making Christ known has been passed on to us. He became a “light to the nations”, and so must we…HOW? By showing loyalty to a friend, forgiveness to your enemy, service to your boss, good example to your child, honor to your father, gratitude and devotion to your mother, love and faithfulness to your spouse, respect yourself, charity to all men, and your LIFE to God!

• Before I will end my sharing. I have a story to tell about this great Filipino. He is one of good examples of follower of John the Baptist. He makes Jesus and Mary well known to the world. I consider him a great evangelizer of our Catholic faith. He is Manny Pacquiao…during his speech on his bday he said, “Would you like to know where I get my strength and power? He said, God told me “just trust me, I will not leave you, I will not abandon you!” this was why in every fight he fought, he would kneel and pray in his corner to seek Divine Guidance…win or lose, I will pray at the corner to thank God for all the blessings. And he asked the audience…”what about you, did you count your blessings (win or lose)? Remember to thank God for all He has done…and he will give you your needs…

• Kita? Naa bat ay pagsalaig sa Ginoo nga dili kita niya biyaan? Do we seek Divine guidance before we begin the day? Faithful bat a gihapon sa atong pag-ampo bisag nagkalisod nata sa atong kinabuhi? O may rata moampo pag hayahay ang kahimtang. Be the light of our nations my brothers and sister…hinaut pa unta!

GARBAGE TRUCK


How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly she can get back her focus on what's important.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did.

So this was it: The "Law of the Garbage Truck.” I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people a work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do anymore." I began to see garbage trucks.

Like in the movie "The Sixth Sense," the little boy said, "I see Dead People." Well, now "I see Garbage Trucks." I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.

One of my favorite football players of all time, Walter Payton, did this every day on the football field. He would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best.

Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Here's my bet. You'll be happier. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so.. Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't.

 

SALUBONG


Introduction
The researchers choose this topic, which is one of the most popular Philippine Religious Traditions in this generation, in order to emphasize the importance of Salubong in the life and faith of the Filipino people. This topic is very connected to the growing faith of the Roman Catholic Christians. This will also give life to the New Testament witness to the resurrection of Jesus-Christ. It is a commemoration of the personal encounter of Mary with the risen Christ, and also to his apostles. This personal encounter with the risen Lord, as Catholics commemorated every year during Easter Sunday (Easter procession), is also of great help by means of personal assessing of ones’ value of faith. Salubong is not literally written in the bible but this will be a mean for the individuals to connect themselves to the New Testament encounter of Jesus’ resurrection. Hence, the Church nurtures the faith of the people through Traditions and tradition.

What is Salubong or Encuentro?
One of the Easter practices unique to the Philippines and other countries influenced by the Spaniards is the celebration of the "salubong". The word refers to the act of meeting someone who is arriving. As the word connotes, the celebration is a reenactment of the first meeting of Christ and his mother, Mary.

This is not written in the Bible, but our natural affinity to our mothers tell us that if there is someone to whom Christ will show himself first after his resurrection, it must be to his mother who loved him so much.

Salubong is when Jesus and Mary meet for the first time. In the Philippines, it is usually done in 3 am or 4 am in the morning. The females and males are separated. The males going with Jesus and females go with Mary. As Jesus and Mary go closer they sing Alleluia. After that they give you the first mass of Easter then you can either go home to celebrate or usually there will be a big celebration.

In the Philippines we have developed a beautiful Easter procession which is called “Salubong or Encuentro”. The Encuentro is a kind of an audio-visual aid which dramatizes the meeting of the risen Lord with His mother Mary. It makes visible how Mary’s deep sorrow is changed into great joy, seeing her Son alive. Although such an encounter between the risen Christ and His mother is nowhere reported in the Gospels, it can rightly be presumed that Mary was among the first witnesses of the resurrection.

Etymology

Salubong is incorporated in the celebration of the Easter Sunday as far as the Philippine context is concern. We already defined from the above descriptions about the meaning of Salubong basing from what we observed in Easter processions here in our country. In this research, it is very important to note the Etymological meaning of the term “Easter” in order for us to be guided.

The word “Easter” is probably derived from Estre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. The German word Ostern has the same derivation, but most other languages follow the Greek term used by the early Christians: pascha, from the Hebrew pesach (Passover). In Latin, Easter is Festa Paschalia (plural because it is a seven-day feast), which became the basis for the French Paques, the Italian Pasqua, and the Spanish Pascua. It is also related to the Scottish Pask, the Dutch Paschen, the Danish Paaske, and the Swedish Pask.

Obscurity of its Origin

The researchers find some difficulty in searching for the exact origin of the Salubong or Encuentro. However, they use the book of Bernhard Raas, SVD as their source in knowing the origin of salubong or Encuentro.

It is a precious heritage we have received in the Encuentro. The great multitude of the people attending this procession early Sunday morning proves that it has become a part of Filipino culture and is deeply appreciated by the people. Where the Encuentro has its origin is not sure. Also the Indios in Guatemala observe the tradition of the Encuentro, but there it is done on Good Friday and it presents Jesus on His way to Golgotha, meeting His mother Mary and Veronica. The Filipino version of the Encuentro came probably from Spain and via Latin America it reached the Philippines.

Involved Rituals

Allow us to present to you about the story we get from the Kwaresma at Semana Santa 2008 Archive.

Marso 23, 2008. Maagang-maagang gumising ang marami upang makilahok at masaksihan ang Salubong ngayong Linggo ng Pagkabuhay. Ika-4:30 nu ay nagtipon ang mga parokyano sa mga Parokya ng Bancaan, San Roque at Naic. May kani-kanyang seremonya para sa salubong ang bawat parokya ng bayan.

Sa Bancaan, nagtipon ang mga kasama sa karo ng Maria Resureccion sa Bucana Coop. habang sa Labac Bridge naman ang sa karo ng Hesus Resureccion. Naganap ang salubong sa simbahan ng Bancaan.

Sa San Roque naman, nagtipon ang mga kasama ng Maria Resureccion sa Calubcob habang sa Gugo naman nagmula ang mga sumama sa imahe ng Hesus Resureccion. Sa simbahan din naganap ang salubong ng dalawang imahe.

Sa kabayanan, muling inilabas ang mga karo ng San Pedro, San Juan, Sta. Veronica, Maria Magdalena at Salome para sa prusisyon. Ang mga debotong babae ay nagprusisyon kasama ang mga santong nabanggit patungo sa tahanan ng Pamilya Papa sa Zamora upang sunduin ang imahe ng Maria Resureccion. Binaybay nila ang Capt. C. Nazareno, pa-Evangelista at lumagos sa Zamora. Ang mga lalaking deboto naman ay nagprusisyon kasama ang imahe ng Hesus Resureccion. Binaybay nila ang Capt. C. Nazareno, pa-Rizal at humantong pabalik sa liwasan.

Pasado ika-5nu nang magsalubong ang imahe ng Hesus Resureccion at Maria Resurrecion sa mismong plaza. Inihimpil naman ang karo ng ibang santo sa mataas na bahagi ng Poblete--Capt. C. Nazareno.

Bahagi ng seremonya ang pagtula ng isang batang lalaki. Sumasali't sa tula ang pag-awit ng mga batang sila ring nagsi-awit ng Hosana noong Linggo ng Palaspas. Inawit nila ang Alleluia at Regina. Tampok ang dalagang anghel na siyang nanguna sa pag-awit ng Regina. Mula sa likod, dahan-dahang lumakad hanggang sa rampang idinugtong sa entablado ang dalagang anghel. Matapos ang mga pag-awit, inalis na ng dalagang anghel ang itim na belong nakalukob sa imahe ng Maria at pinalitan ito ng puting tela.

Ayon naman sa mga pagsambit sa tula, nagpakawala ng mga kalapating puti, at nagpalipad din ng mga lobo kung saan nakatali ang koronang tinik at mga pako (yari sa styro). May mga lobo rin kung saan nakatali ang belong itim (iba sa belong inalis subalit kumakatawan din sa belong yaon). Bukod pa ang maraming lobong puti at asul na pinalipad din.

Matapos ang seremonya sa plaza, tumugtog ng mga musikong pang-karakol ang banda. Pasayaw na dinala ang mga karo ng Maria at Hesus papasok sa simbahan. Marami sa mga debotong pumuno sa plaza ay napaindak sa karakol. Bukod dito, may mga batang babae rin na sadyang bahagi ng seremonya upang magsayaw sa gitna ng plaza.

Pagdating sa simbahan, bandang ika-6nu, idinaos ang unang misa. Nasundan ang misa pagsapit ng ika-8nu, at isa pang misa pagsapit ng ika-6ng.

Sa ganito, nagwakas ang Semana Santa o Mahal na Araw sa Naic.


Religious Significance of Salubong or Encuentro
In this research, it is very important to note the significance of Salubong in the life of the Filipino people. As we have mentioned earlier, Salubong is very important as Filipino people who nurture their faith to Jesus Christ, the One who is resurrected from the dead. Filipino Catholics believe that the resurrection of Jesus is the culmination of His Paschal Mystery, and through that event he defeats the power of darkness which is death. The researchers believe that what matters most of all these things is faith. The personal encounters of Mary and the apostles with the risen Lord are made present in the Easter procession, and in that event we personally encounter Jesus in our faith.

The Holy Week and Town Fiesta processions tend to become either sincere dramatic enterprises, opportunities for the fulfillment of a vow, or competitive displays. Community solidarity is promoted, but it is by appeal and support, straining action and silent or vocal encouragement, by participants on the one hand, and sidelines on the other. This solidarity between those who march and those who watch is clearly expressed in the lighted candle held on the sidelines, or placed in the windows of homes on the route of the procession.


Salubong or Encuentro as Biblical Catechesis
The researchers mentioned from the above description that the encounter between the risen Christ and His mother Mary is nowhere reported in the Gospels, but they believe (researchers) that Salubong or Encuentro can be a biblical catechesis to interpret the various encounters.

By making use of biblical texts to illustrate and interpret the various encounters it would turn into a biblical catechesis. The scheme of such a “revised Encuentro” would like this:

Station The risen Lord meets His mother the same as now and singing of
“Queen of heaven, rejoice” Station He appears to Peter John 21, 15-17 can be read, and a
song that people can participate
Station He appears to Mary Magdalene The Easter Sequence may be sung
(and afterwards during the mass
Omitted)
Reading of Jn 20, 14-18
Station He appears to the 500 Reading of 1 Cor 15-16 and
Invitation to meet Him now in the
Eucharist.

Salubong or Encuentro as “tradition”
Salubong becomes a Philippine tradition in the context of the whole Catholic Church in the Philippines. It becomes a habit in the faith in which being practiced by all Filipino Catholics everywhere. It is an inherited tradition accepted by the collective mind of the Church. The love and faith of the Filipino Catholics make a Salubong or Encuentro as an inherited tradition still alive. To prove the traditional nature of Salubong or Encuentro, the researchers use the criterion of Sensus Fidei.

Sensus Fidei looks to the present sensitivity found in the whole body of believers. The Holy Spirit guides their instinctive discernment in matters of faith. Sensus Fidei involves the Holy Spirit. This criterion ultimately looks to the Spirit’s impact on the collective mind of the whole Church. It directs us to examine the faith and practice of the whole Church.

The criterion Sensus Fidei looks to the practice of the individual in the present context. It looks to the present collective sensitivity of the whole Church. Salubong is one of the many traditions which can be qualified in this criterion. Meaning, Salubong or Encuentro is qualified in terms of present collective faith, and that is being practiced by all Filipino Roman Catholics under their discernment in the Holy Spirit. It is also very important to include in this study that under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the faith of the Church is being nurtured. The researchers agree that Salubong or Encuentro is very important, and that as far as observation is concern most of the Filipino Catholics join in solidarity with the others during this event. This inherited tradition cannot be taken away in the hearts of the Filipino Catholics. For them, this tradition became part of their life as members of the Body of Christ. The researchers challenge all Filipino Catholics to become active and participative in this tradition of encountering Jesus in a most personal way of expressing faith. Hence, they believe that in participating Filipino Catholics will be able to see the importance of this tradition in the life and faith of the Church.

Assessment and Recommendations

Group Assessment
Salubong has become part of the tradition of the Filipino Catholic Church. It strengthens the faith of the Filipino believers of Jesus as the Son of God who has risen from the dead. It nurtures the individual’s faith and form one to become mature in witnessing to the Gospel values of Christ. Filipino Catholics become the living witnesses of the New Testament resurrection of Jesus Christ. They experience Christ in a most personal way of encountering. The researchers believe that Salubong or Encuentro becomes the instrument of recognizing Him in a most faithful way manner. They mention “faithful way manner” because it involves faith of the individual, and that faith is expressed in many ways particularly in the tradition of Easter procession. Hence, Salubong or Encuentro will lead us towards knowing the meaning of being a Catholic Christian, and their one will be able to appreciate (because he experiences Jesus personally) his own faith in the context of this particular tradition.


Biblical Basis
Salubong is a widespread tradition in the Philippines. The Biblical basis of this tradition is implicit. It is not written whether Mary really met her son Jesus. It is a logical proposition that it is obvious that if Jesus appeared to the other biblical personalities, it is contradictory that He never appeared to His Mother. Honestly speaking no one can rely on this proposition as biblical basis of this tradition. But, it is very surprising why this tradition flourished.

Magisterial Basis

The surprising spread of this cult urged the Magisterium to speak about it. As what is observed before that many people were interested in salubong rather the Eucharistic Celebration. The CBCP responded in 1971 by instructing that Salubong should be incorporated in the mass. The salubong takes the penitential part of the mass. This aims to bring people to love the Eucharist. To accommodate the salubong or to have its place in the liturgy in 1993 the CBCP approved some changes in the Dawn Mass during Easter Sunday. In place of the empty tomb of John as the gospel now it is Luke 27-28: the praise of Mary and all those who hear the Word of God and keep it. All prayers have now a Marian note.

Risen Lord
The tradition really founded on the Risen Lord. It is a festive as well as sacrificial commemoration in resurrection of Jesus. The foundation of this tradition is to make known the glorious resurrection of the Lord. The risen Lord directs the apostles to teach the Good news to the farthest bounds of the world. Salubong is a living Gospel that portrays how Jesus overcomes death by his victoriously rising from the dead.

Apostolicity
There is no known citation of the Church Fathers of this tradition. There is no written record from antiquity that this tradition is exhorted. Looking back on its history, it is said that salubong was developed during the onset of evangelization. It is used by the by the missionaries as an aid for catechesis. As we all know majority of the non-believers are illiterate therefore there is a need for an aid in order for them to understand the resurrection. They found salubong as an excellent tool for these.

Sensus Fidelium
It is precisely in this criterion that this salubong reach to this level of popularity. There is no clear biblical text that supports this tradition yet it make sense to the faithful. They fully believe on the benefits they will received in Salubong. The faith of the believing community causes this tradition to continue up to this moment. The sad thing here in there is some faithful are very fanatic. They believe that the flowers used in the salubong can cause good luck. So they panic in order to get some of these flowers. This is misleading because they are only limited to signs and they do not transcend – to the reality of that signs which is Christ Jesus.

The Vincentian Cannon
This tradition is widespread in the Philippines. Basing at Vincentian Cannon we can consider Salubong as true tradition. All churches in the Philippines celebrate this tradition in the same manner and almost in the same time. This believed by almost all Catholic in the Philippines so by this it can be consider as true tradition.

The Creed
One of the articles of faith is the resurrection. In salubong the resurrection is the center of this. This tradition affirms the proposition of our creed so therefore salubong is not far from the teaching of the Catholic Church.

Recommendations
Salubong is very much relevant to Catholic faith. It has no solid biblical foundation yet its point to the very reality to the life of Christ. It heralds the mystery of the Risen Lord and as a form of Catechesis it follows the mandate of Christ in the Ascension, “Go therefore and make disciples of men.” It cannot be viewed in terms of apostolicity because this tradition develops in the advent of missionary’s evangelization. But, despite of some canonical discrepancy the faithful are drawn towards this tradition. It is the faith that makes it prosper.

The group unanimously approved this practice must be observed. However, there should be modification to this practice. The appearances of Jesus in the Bible should be included. For example His appearance to Mary Magdalene (Jn 20:14-18), the appearance to Peter (Jn 21:15-17) and the appearance to 500 persons as what is read in 1 Cor 15:6. This modification leads salubong to further biblical authenticity. The Eucharistic prayer should not have a Marian Note. It is observed that salubong has Marian character. This is misleading because many would think that we are exhorting Mary than Jesus. It is somewhat contradictory that we are rejoicing to the resurrection of Christ yet our prayers in the liturgy have a Marian touch. The following are the Presidential prayers of the Dawn Mass of Easter Sunday.