THEOLOGY 4:

• LIVING THE CHRISTIAN VISION IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD:

Harmony with God: Called to Communion

A. Spirituality of Truth

NAME (Instructor)

UST – Institute of Religion

HARMONY WITH GOD: CALLED TO COMMUNION

Even a person who refuses to acknowledge God’s

existence is not exempted from confronting the
“why” questions of life.

FAITH
- can be seen and manifested anywhereLike when
taking a test and hoping that you will pass
“If I find in myself a desire which no
experience in this world can satisfy, the
most probable explanation is that I was
made for another world. Probably
earthly pleasures were never meant to
satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest
THE REAL THING.” (Mere Christianity, C.S.
Lewis)

3
Spirituality
• Spirituality is our search for the real thing, but what is the real thing?
• “Real thing” depends upon your own status
• As if the object of spirituality is a matter of personal preference
• Yes - Personal
• No - social (communal decision)
• True spirituality is anchored on THE TRUTH of WHO GOD IS.
 Veritatis Splendor, 2

• “The light of God's face

shines in all its beauty on
the countenance of Jesus
Christ.”
 SUGGESTED ASSIGNMENT:

•How do you differentiate spirituality

from religiosity?
•Is Christianity a spirituality, a religion, or
both?
A. SPIRITUALITY OF TRUTH
Objectives

- To describe the crisis of relativism

- To describe the proclamation of the truth
“from the heart of the ghospel”

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM OF

FINDING THE TRUTH IN THE
CONTEMPORARY WORLD?
Should we
consider the
action ‘heroic’ as
she ‘sacrificed’
herself for a larger
cause?
5th Century:

• “Man is the measure of all

things” - Protagoras

RELATIVISM

• All points of view are equally valid

even if they are contradicting
• No more wrong only right
• What I feel is right
 In a relativist society,
there are no standards, no
permanent moral values.
•TRUTH is as fluid as the
changing of an
individual’s mind or
preferences.
Truth
- universal law
- Constant
 Crisis of Relativism

• “Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the

Church is often labeled as fundamentalism.
• Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be ‘tossed here
and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine’, seems
the only attitude that can cope with modern
times.” (Missa Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice, 19 April
2005)

“We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not

recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal
consists solely of one's own ego and desires.”
(Missa Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice, 19 April 2005)
Spirituality is our search for
that “real thing”

How does the crisis of

relativism profoundly impact
But, what is the real thing in faith and morals?
the midst of relativism?

Fault ➡ Sin ➡ there is malice

a. Relativism in Faith

“Jesus Christ is but one religious among

others - of the many models and ideal
forms of the Absolute”

“God, who is too great to just be contained

in one historical person as Jesus of
Nazareth.”
 Relativism in Faith

• Thus, to affirm Jesus as “the Way,

the Truth and the Life” is
FUNDAMENTALISM
• Jesus did it personal
• Helping - should be done personal
(giving attention and being with the
person).
 Relativism in Faith

“CAFETERIA CATHOLICISM”

One is free to just choose which of the

Church’s teachings they will accept as true
Sincerity and follow, abandoning beliefs and practices
- the only requirement to be forgiven in
doing a confession
which do not suit their taste or preferences.
- If feeling guilty, this only the remnants
of sin Simply choosing what
obligations to perform
b. Relativism in Morals

• The logical consequence of

relativism in faith
• If all beliefs are true, then all
actions are good
 “If they accept the
Lord and have
goodwill, WHO AM I
TO JUDGE?” –
one of Pope Francis’ answers on questions about
homosexuality on his flight back to Rome

• Unfortunately, this response of the Holy Father is

often taken out of context and used as a propaganda
statement by Catholics who wish to defend moral
slants that do not conform to the official teaching of
the Church.
 Ironically, there is neither
good nor wrong action, only
“the relatively better”

“What is right is wrong, and

what is wrong is right.”
• There are practices before that are no longer acceptable now
• When reason end faith is the one that pushes it forward
 “…there are those in our
“While the Church
culture who portray this
insists on the existence
teaching as UNJUST, that
of objective moral
is, as opposed to basic
norms which are VALID
human rights.” (Evangelii
FOR EVERYONE…”
Gaudium, 64)
 c. Practical Relativism
(EG 80 and LS 122)
• a form of moral relativism that is self-
centered, self-indulgent and grounded
on convenience and material security
• a lifestyle where one accumulates and
hoards wealth and power at all costs
• What should be done: Not just being
cheap but its utility
 c. Practical Relativism
(EG 80 and LS 122)
“…acting as if God did not exist,
making decisions as if the poor did
not exist, setting goals as if others did
not exist, working as if people who
have not received the Gospel did not
exist.” (Evangelii Gaudium, 80)
 How does the Gospel lead us to the
rediscovery of the Absolute Truth?
“Rediscover” because Christ already revealed it to us, for he is both
the message and the messenger
 Proclaiming the Truth from the Heart of the Gospel

“Truth is the equation of mind and thing.” (Summa Theologiae, I:21:2)

St. Thomas Aquinas
i. Morally Truthful ii. Logically Truthful
• When a person’s • When a person’s
thinking conforms to thinking conforms to
what he expresses with what actually exists in
words or actions reality and his
- Do what we preach judgments are based on
- We do what we think the same reality
- Actions should be right
Illogical - far from the truth (not precise)
- Not automatically all actions we do is
Logical - focuses on the reality
right, it depends on what we know
What we think is in line with reality
iii. Ontological Truth - there are things that we can’t explain
- What we don’t understand, we have to
• insofar as they transcend or look at it in the other or
higher level
correspond to how the
Creator imagined them Love
even before they were - we cannot see, we do not totally
understand but we do it
made.
- Suffering is because of sin

Compassion
- being with the person who is going
through something
Moral Truth and
Logical Truth

• expressions of what
originally was just an idea
in the Great Mind that
brought it forth to
existence – God
Ontological Truth “For in him were created all
things in heaven and on earth,
• Became incarnate in the visible and the invisible,
the person of JESUS whether thrones or dominions
CHRIST or principalities or powers; all
things were created through
him and for him. He is before all
things, and in him all things
hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17)
 "In fact, it is only in the mystery of
the Word incarnate that light is shed
on the mystery of man.”
(GS, 22)
 The challenge,
therefore, is how to
communicate the truth
in today’s world.

We cannot control what others think or say but

we can control how we react to it
 b. A Missionary

• The ultimate purpose

behind the transmission of
this truth is SALVATION
• The purpose can be done outside of the
comfort zone, it can be shared to anyone
even without payment of other benefits
SALVATION
- This is not only for Catholics but it is AVAILABLE to anyone
- This has been revealed and its our choice to accept it or not
 For the truth to be conveyed effectively (EG 35):

Not to saturate with

doctrines but to concentrate
A genuine love for the
in the proclamation of what
audience, learn their
their situation necessitates,
language, be immersed in
simple enough to be
their realities.
understood by all without Ministry of presence
losing its depth and richness • We do not need to say
something, we just need to
listen and be with them

Know the audience, age bracket, to be able to relate to them personally

• Hence, communicating • In the words, it is through
the truth today should the via pulchritudinis – the
not be by way of way of beauty the others
imposition but by are brought more
attraction. effectively to the truth of
• Radiate the love of God Christ. (It is the desire of
in their lives man to be good)

Pope Francis Pope

Benedict
c. Hierarchy of Truths

• Not all truths are of equal

importance in relation to the
salvation of humankind.
• Essential truths are the
foundational truths – the
truths supernaturally
revealed necessary for
salvation
• Not all true are for salvation
Thus, those who proclaim the Christian faith to
focus on the essential Gospel Message – on
the love of God expressed in Christ Jesus who
died and rose again (Evangelii Gaudium, 36)
build a solid foundation of faith that will later
on address the “basic questions people have
about life, death, suffering, justice, love and
sin.” (Bushman, 2000)