The Louisian Prayer

O God, wellspring of goodness and blessings, we give you thanks and praise as one Louisian community.
The graces You incessantly grant upon us and Your divine providence have sustained our beloved
University throughout the years of mission and excellence.

Having been founded by the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we pray that You keep us
committed and dedicated to our mission and identity to serve the Church and the society as we become
living witnesses to the Gospel values proclaimed by Jesus. For if we are steadfast in our good and
beautiful mission, our works will bring success not only to ourselves but also to those whom we are
bound to love and serve.

Inspired by St. Louis our Patron Saint, who was filled with a noble spirit that stirred him to love You
above all things, may we also live believing that we are born for a greater purpose and mission as we
dwell in Your presence all the days of our life.

Grant all these supplications through the intercession of Mother Mary and through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Introduction to God’s Journey with His People

 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-
 USL’s Vision, Mission, And Core Values
VISION
USL is a global learning community recognized for science and technology across all disciplines,
strong research, and responsive community engagement grounded on the CICM mission and identity for a
distinctive student experience.
MISSION
USL sustains a Catholic academic community that nurtures persons for community, church and
society anchored on CICM’s Missio et Excellentia.

EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND CORE VALUES

The University of Saint Louis upholds the philosophy that education is for building of self and
persons for the Church and the Society. Wisdom builds. To these ends, the following are the core values
of University of Saint Louis; integral in the formation of every member of the Louisian community.
1. Christian Living. We are witnesses to the Gospel values as taught and lived by Christ thus
making God’s love known and experienced by all.
2. Excellence. We seek and maintain uncompromising standard of quality in teaching, learning,
service, and stewardship of school resources.
3. Professional Responsibility. We are committed to efficiently and responsibly apply the learned
principles, values and skills in the chosen field of discipline, taking initiative and command
responsibility in one’s professional advancement.
4. Social Awareness and Involvement. We engage ourselves with society by listening to the
prevailing issues and concerns in the society, thereby initiating and participating in constructive
and relevant social activities for the promotion of justice, peace and integrity of creation and for
people’s wellness and development consistent with the CICM charism.
5. Innovation, Creativity and Agility. We keep ourselves relevant and responsive to the changing
needs of our stakeholders by being flexible, solution oriented, and having cutting-edge decisions
and practices.
 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
1st 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
9301009 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
Deuterocanonical 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.

THE 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.
 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
• 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.

• 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.

BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION
As divinely inspired, the Bible carries truth. Moreover, in getting the meaning of the text we must
treat truth objectively. The meaning of the text is not always in its literal sense but employing some
methodic ways of hermeneutics, there is a need to dig the meaning of it. We should also understand that
in reading the Bible, we may encounter a lot of scientific and historical errors. Even though the Bible is
speaking about science and history, it is not trying to present facts about them, for the purpose of the
Bible is the self-disclosure of God to us and treating this as the Word of God for us and for our salvation.
The Bible is a book written in different literary styles. Thus, in order for us to be led to the
meaning
of the text it is deem necessary to discuss some literary genres present in the Scriptures.
SOME OF THE MAJOR GENRES WITHIN THE HEBREW BIBLE (OLD TESTAMENT)
1. Foundational Myths and Legends
- Narratives about the beginning of the world, the first generations of humans, early years of
nation, intended to provide a foundational world-view upon which people base their communal
and individual lives. (Ex. Gen, parts of Exod., Num, and Deut)
2. Legal Codes
- collection of laws by which the people are to live (Lev, parts of Exod, Num, Deut)
3. Genealogies
- lists of inter-relationships between peoples, either of successive generations or different nations
(Parts of Gen, much of Num)
4. Annals
- semi-historical narrative accounts of decisive events in a nation’s life that gives emphasis on the
political and military exploits of its leaders. (Josh, Jdg, 1 & 2 Sam, 1 & 2 Kings)
5. Prophetic Books
- collection of oracles or words of God spoken to the people through human intermediaries and
the symbolic actions they perform at God’s direction for the people’s benefit (Isaiah, Jeremiah,
etc.)
6. Psalms
- poetic lyrics of songs/ hymns intended for communal worship and individual prayer. (Psalms)
7. Laments
- words addressed by people to God, especially reflecting situations of crisis or laments
8. Proverbs
- generalized sayings and aphorisms containing advice on how to live well: “do good and avoid
evil”
9. Apocalypses
- symbolic narratives that interpret historical crises through God’s eyes to provide hope for a
better future. (Dan)
 SOME OF THE MAJOR GENRES WITHIN THE NEW TESTAMENT
1. Gospels
- proclamation of the “good news” about Jesus intended to establish/ strengthen people’s faith in
Him; quasi-biographical, semi-historical portraits of the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus (Mt,
Mk, Lk, Jn) The gospels contain many sub-genres of literature.
2. Acts
- a partial narrative account about the beginnings and the growth of early Christianity; not a
complete history of the early Church, since it focuses only on the actions of few missionary
leaders.
3. Letter/Epistles
- real letters addressing practical and theological issues relevant to particular communities
4. Homily/ Sermon
- an exegetical sermon that cites and interprets older biblical texts in reference to Jesus. (Heb)
5. Enyclicals
- more stylized works in letter format; circular letters intended for broader audiences. (1 & 2 Pt)
6. Apocalypse
- a vividly symbolic narrative that “reveals” God’s views about a historical crisis in order to
provide encouragement for a difficult present and hope for a better future. (Rev)

SMALLER GENRES AND SUB-GENRES WITHIN NEW TESTAMENT:

• The New Testament Gospel contain narrative materials, discourse materials, and some mixed genres:
• Narrative genres include the following:
-genealogies
-narrators, introductions, transitions and summary passages
-miracle stories
-call and sending stories
-conflict or controversy stories
• Discourse genres include the following:
-parables and allegories
-laws and legal interpretations
-short exhortations: individual sayings or proverbs
-longer speeches: discourses or monologues

There are two kinds of interpreting the Biblical Text. The first one is Exegesis, it is the exposition
of a text based on a careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of” that
means that the interpreter is being led to his conclusions by following the text.

Exegesis is drawing out the meaning of the text after considering its background or context such as the
background of the author, his styles of writing and delivering his message to his audience, the audience of
the author, the time and situation of the audience to mention few. With this method, the interpreter will
be able to determine the message of the Biblical text. According to Catechism of Filipino Catholics 92-
96, there are at least four factors which play significant part in interpreting the Scripture: (i) the inspired
human author’s intention, (ii) the text itself, (iii) the reader of the text, (iv) the common horizon
connecting the original community context of the text with our community reading today.

Eisegesis, is the interpretation of a passage based on a subjective, non-analytical reading. The word
eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means the interpreter injects his own ideas into the text,
making it mean whatever he wants. This kind of interpretation may be implied during reflection, Bible
sharing, and personal prayers. However, the task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God
has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. (Dei Verbum No. 10)
 Between the two methods of interpreting the text in the Bible, Exegesis is the proper or highly
recommended, as it is being used by the official interpreters of the Bible.

Why is the need to do exegesis in interpreting the Bible? First, we must know or be aware that we
do not have the copy of the original Sacred Scriptures which were written in Hebrew and Greek. All the
Bible editions that we have today are just translations from the original manuscripts. Even in the process
of translating the scriptures, there is/are “dagdag-bawas” if the translator is not careful. Remember that
the translations/editions are most often not in exact words or not literal. This means that the words in the
translations may not capture the exact meaning of the words in the original manuscript. Second, we are
not the original audience of the authors of the Sacred Scriptures. These were the Israelites. This means
that the worldview and message of the authors were focus on their direct audience. Third, the situation of
the original audience may not be the same with our situation at present. So, with these important
reminders, we cannot directly apply the words of the Bible to us but a lot of it should be re-appropriated
or be contextualized to our situation at present.

CHAPTERS AND VERSES

When the Bible was compiled there were no chapters and verses yet. Stephen Langton,
Archbishop of Canterbury divided the Bible into chapters only in 1227. Later, Robert Stephanus divided
the Bible into verses only in 1551.

How to read Chapters and Verses in the Bible?

Genesis 3:16
The word Genesis represents the book, the first number before the colon (3) represents the chapter
while the number after the colon (16) represents the verse. The above sample reads as Genesis chapter 3
verse 16.
 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
17:122). 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.

THE CALLING 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.

7 Then 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.
 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)

1. 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.

2. 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….

3. 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.
4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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 happened, 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.
9. 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 ade 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.

10. 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.

FIRST THREE COMMANDMENTS CALL US TO RIGHT

RELATIONSHIP 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.

The 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 then that is perjury; we even include God in our
foolishness. This is a serious sin since God is always true to His promises and never lies! For
this reason, false oaths and perjury seriously offend God.

• 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.

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.

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

“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)

SOME MORTAL SINS THAT GO SPECIFICALLY AGAINST THE 4TH 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.

SOME MORTAL SINS THAT GO SPECIFICALLY AGAINST THE 5TH 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.

ACTS THAT 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.
• 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.

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.

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.

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

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

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:

1. Lie
- An assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with purpose of deceiving someone.
2. Perjury
- 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:
1. Rash judgment
- which assumes – without proof – someone has done wrong
2. Detraction
- which is telling the faults of another to those who have no reason to know the information
3. 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 COMMANDMENT

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:

1. 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: 1.

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.

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 3rd 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 40th 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.
Introduction:
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 4:1924)

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
GodYHWH 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
nonIsraelite 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

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.

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
Prophets (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 unfaithful 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 neighboring 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 conceive 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.

2. Jeremiah
- He was born of a priestly family in the middle of the 7th 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

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.

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.
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
• Synagogue – Meeting place for prayer and studying the Word of God especially the Torah (Law).
• 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 favored 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 periscopes, 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
physician &
Author (based on John Mark of
apostle companion of John
tradition) Jerusalem
Paul
bilingual (Aramaic
bilingual (Aramaic Gentile Christian
& Greek) Christian the “beloved
Implied author & Greek) early convert; well
of the disciple”
Jewish Christian educated Greek
2nd generation;
mixed: mostly
better educated wealthier Gentile Jews, some
Audience mostly Gentiles,
Jews Christians Gentiles,
Samaritans, etc.
Galilee; or Antioch
Place of Writing Rome Greece Galilee or Syria;
in 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 Jesus, the “Word
Image of Christ “Emmanuel,” the
servant of all humanity of God”
expected Messiah
Number of
16 28 24 21
Chapters

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.

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
Parents: Mary and Joseph (Joseph was a craftsman, Greek, “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 to treason, blasphemy, violation of Jewish laws
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 Mustard Seed
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
The Parable of Talents
The Parable of the Lost Coin
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
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.