sign of contradiction

the house is not an eyesore; it is an eloquent reminder that any celebration should have restraint, that any consumption requires responsibility, and that austerity remains a viable and necessary prophetic tool.

Is Jesus just "one of the ways" to God?

Magisterium teaches that there is indeed some ray of truth in every faith; this does not mean, however, that it is possible that such truths found in others will not be found in ours! when Nostra Aetate stated that,

"The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men,"

it meant that while other faiths share in the Truth fully held by the Church, those the truths cannot contradict the truths already held by the Church.

although it cannot be denied that Truth can be perceived, understood, and articulated in different ways owing to different histories, cultures, and paradigms, essential to the nature of Truth are unity and immutability (that truth is one and unchanging). therefore, with proper discourse based on sound reason, such different understandings, perceptions, and articulations of truth are ultimately anchored on a single, pure Truth.

this becomes relevant when we consider that although most of humanity (atheists excepted) believe in *some* divine being, it does not follow that they worship the *same* divine being! the capacity for faith and belief is a human trait that is a gift of the One True God in order for humans to be able to seek and apprehend Him. unfortunately, the objects of this divine gift is not the same across time and cultures. and so, this makes the person of Jesus and His revelation of the Good News and of God all the more significant and indispensable as the articulation and incarnation of the single, pure Truth!

Jesus cannot, therefore, merely be "one of the ways" to God that is co-efficient and co-valid as others; Sacred Scripture has plenty attestations to this. i accept, though, the proposition that believers of other faiths are nonetheless able to receive salvation by the merit of Jesus' redemptive act--as long as they lived their lives according to the dictates of good conscience. it means that a Muslim of good will (or any non-Christian, for that matter) will be able to enter heaven but *not because* of Mohammed (or whoever they believe in) but because of Jesus (Whom, by faith to their good consciences, they actually followed unwittingly--hence, the term "anonymous Christians").

this second point is actually often my beef in conversations about ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. i have no quarrel with the concept and activity ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, per se. i believe it is a crucial part of Christian vocation to bridge gaps and establish human solidarity. but a Catholic must do it as a Catholic! although this seems to be so obvious, sadly it is not. there are times when the nuances i have pointed out are ignored for the sake of catchy, more readily understandable formulations which are, unfortunately, not always fully in keeping with Divine Revelation or Magisterium.

on a final note, though, i think it must be pointed out that charity must temper all forms of dialogue and speech--for, as St. Paul reminds us, to be love-filled is as much important and as much necessary as to be correct. no matter how right we are, we must all the more be unfailing examples of patience, kindness, and charity.

pax et bonum!

God is a Subject

marginal thoughts no.6
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a peek at my notes. sometimes, doodles that litter page margins are more meaningful for me.
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during our class in Trinity, it was stressed that God cannot be merely appraised as an object whose qualities and characteristics can be studied and delineated scientifically; rather, God is a subject whom we discover, get to know, experience, and relate to. "who" God is, therefore, is just as important as "what" God is. thus, we do not "study" God but instead grow in knowledge of Him; He is not Something sized-up but a Being embraced in love in order to be known. :)

Namamanglaw ba ang Bughaw? (does blue ever get blue?)

so i was clearing out boxes and sorting stuff (after five months, i still haven't finished!) when i found these lines, or these lines found me.

paalis ka na.
lulubog na ang araw
sa karagatan ng luhang
di matawid ang kitid ng pampang
hanggang sa pisngi ng aking luklukan.
may tampo sa ungol ng kulog
sa kalangitang nananamlay,
ni isa man lang alapaap
ay walang makiramay.
mamamaalam na ang liwanag.
kumakaluskos na ang lamig.
at hapdi ang hatid
ng bawat buntung-hininga.

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para sa Tutubing Marikit

One God, Indeed

marginal thoughts no.5
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a peek at my notes. sometimes, doodles that litter page margins are more meaningful for me.
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during our class in Ecumenism, it was floated that ecumenical persons must “respect other believers in their commitment to God in their religion of choice” and that, since belief in Christ is not universal, and since “doctrines divide”, belief in God is a point of unity towards which all can journey. intelligent theological dialogue is apparently bypassed (because it divides!) in favor of collective engagement of social issues (because it unites). although it might sound good to the ears and look pretty on paper, it seems to me too simplistic and naive approach that not only suspends the exercise of reason in favor of some feel-good emotional fix but also denies the centrality of Christ’s revelation both in orthodox missiology (cf Redemptoris Missio) and in Sacred Scripture (Mt.28:19 & Jn.17:22-23). although i agree that how two different kinds of believer acts according to their different beliefs can indeed be a point of collaboration (indeed, especially regarding common social issues), such points of agreement cannot immediately be seen as indications that their theological impetuses are the same.

Primary Sources

marginal thoughts no.4
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a peek at my notes. sometimes, doodles that litter page margins are more meaningful for me.
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from our class in Medieval Church History: the narrative of History is founded on a thorough and critical reading of primary sources. since the Church is both a divine and human institution, ecclesiastical history can only be concerned with the human dimension of the Church. in other words, Church History only deals with the story of the Church as a human institution. the professor then asked, “Why can’t we write a history of the Church as a divine institution?” and so i doodled.

Corpus Christi

marginal thoughts no.3
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a peek at my notes. sometimes, doodles that litter page margins are more meaningful for me.
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during our class in Canon Law, the professor asked: Why is there (a need for) hierarchy in the Church? instead of raising my hand, i scribbled this down with these words: …Because there is a necessary and complementary relationship between internal and external realities. That which is internal demands an external expression, and such externalities protect and preserve that which is interior. Therefore, because Christ is the one head of His mystical body, the hierarchy (atop of which is the Holy Pontiff) becomes the actualized expression of that spiritual reality.

Ecumeni-what?

marginal thoughts no.2
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a peek at my notes. sometimes, doodles that litter page margins are more meaningful for me.
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i think it is important to seriously grapple with the idea, process, and implications of ecumenism, especially when taken in the context of mission and the ongoing call for new evangelization. how can one remain faithful to the total deposit of Faith amid a pluralistic world? how can one accept and promote the Gospel in its totality while engaged in an “open dialogue” with contradicting ideas? how can one avoid diluting Faith and Doctrine while building communities of tolerance and unity? [this image was brought on by an innocent mispronunciation, but one that had taken on a new relevance after our first meeting for Ecumenism]

Tertullian

marginal thoughts no.1
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this is how i take notes. because sometimes, doodles that litter page margins are more meaningful for me.
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but seriously, here’s something that stuck with me from our course on Trinity: “Whereas in other religions man is in search of God, in Christianity God is in search of man.” woohoo.