IN THE BEGINNING
God told him to tend the
God created all things (world and the human
persons.) They were in “paradise” which means,
there was harmony, justice, peace and joy. Despite all
the very good conditions of life that they were in, the
first human beings (Adam and Eve) still committed
sin.
How did God create mankind?
-God created mankind out of love. God gave
mankind three important gifts: Free Will, Conscience
& Intellectual.
Why did God create and place the tree of
knowledge of good and evil in Eden that could
result in mankind’s fall?
-it was made for Adam & Eve, for them to have
choices. The tree was made for them to choose
between Good or Evil, if they will choose to obey or
disobey him. He gave Adam and Eve every reason to
trust Him, but they chose to doubt His goodness and
disobey Him. And the fall occurred because man
used his free will to listen to the Satan.
Why did God give us a Free will knowing that -The Church started as a religious renewal
man can disobey him anytime? “movement” or group in Jerusalem, Israel by no
-God gave us free will because he didn’t create us to
be his puppets. God forces no one to follow Him.
Having a free will does not mean you can do
whatever you want. That is why God also gave us
conscience. To help us determine what is
right/wrong and keeps us from acting upon our most
basic urges and desires.
Fall of man
What is Adam and Eve’s original sin?
-Adam’s duties were clear.
garden & not eat the fruit of those trees, or he would
die. Adam passed that warning to Eve. Then Satan
entered the garden and disguised as a serpent. He
told to Eve that she will be like God when she eats
the fruit. Instead of believing God, Eve believed
Satan. She ate the fruit and gave some to her
husband to eat. Scripture says, “the eyes of both of
them were opened.” They then realized they were
naked. God invoked curses on Satan, Adam and Eve.
God could have destroyed Adam and Eve but out of
his gracious love, he killed animals to make clothes
for them to cover their newly discovered nakedness.
Then, he cast them out of the Garden of Eden.
BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
OF THE CHURCH
Sacrament
-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)
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 A.D by Emperor Theodosius.

DURING 45 ANNO DOMINI (In the year of our
lord)
-Peter was the first apostle who went to Rome and
started the Church. Later, reflecting on the mission of
Jesus which He passed on to the Church, the Church’s
official name or title evolved into: One, Holy, Catholic
and Apostolic.
-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.
Different kinds of priests according to
spirituality or mission area
A. DIOCESAN – priests serving their local
places.
B. MONKS- started in the 3rd century AD in
Egypt and in Syria with a life of simplicity or
ascetism. 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- group/community of
priests who really want to go to serve
remote places not yet evangelize.
Example of missionaries:
A. THE DOMINICANS- was founded by St. Dominic
in Prouille, France in 1216. Dominic was a
Spanish Priest.
B. THE AUGUSTINIANS- started in 1244 in Italy
(group or no specific founder.)
C. THE JESUITS OR CALLED SOCIETY OF JESUS-
was founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola,
formerly a Spanish soldier who became
priest.
D. THE CICM- was founded by a diocesan priest
Theophile Verbist in 1862 in Scheut, Anderlecht,
Brussels, Belgium. CICM 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 is to
prepare them to become also evangelizers in
the future, is to establish schools.
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,
church and society anchored on CICM’s
Missio et Excellentia.
Core values
A. 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.
B. EXCELLENCE- We seek and maintain
uncompromising standard of quality in
teaching, learning, service, and
stewardship of school resources.
C. 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.
D. 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 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE KINGDOM
with the CICM charism.
E. INNOVATION, CREATIVITY AND -With the kingship of David, the kingdom of Israel
AGILITY-We keep ourselves relevant was finally established. This was the prosperous and
peaceful time for the Israelites. David became the
and responsive to the changing needs of
Model king for the Israelites. This was made possible
our stakeholders by being flexible,
solution oriented, and having cutting because of his faithfulness to God.
edge decisions and practices. -Despite the exemplary kingship of David, the
succeeding kings failed to emulate or even just to
INTRODUCTION TO SACRED sustain, it led to unfaithfulness of the Israelites.
SCRIPTURES -This unfaithfulness came in the form of idolatry or
believing and worshipping other Gods, and even
the formation of the bible
oppressing their poor co-Israelites. God will again
-The Bible did not come out as a book/compiled intervene by sending the prophets to remind them
from the beginning. The process was God’s their covenant with God which they should be faithful
revelation to people, oral tradition by which the to.
people preached and passed it to the next
-The prophets will only write their messages usually
generations, and the writing stage. The Bible was
at their old age if not, by their “disciples”. Despite
written over a period of more than 1000 years. From
the coming out of the prophets the situation
about 1000 BC (OT) to about 100 A.D (NT).
became worst which led to their exile.

THE BABYLONIAN EXILE

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 human 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 statues of God.
-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
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 to God.

-This was the time that they wrote some of their

concept about God such as the Creation Story and
THE EXODUS AND THE COVENANT OF MT. SINAI others which was usually passed orally. So, they
-Speaks about God’s direct intervention in liberating started to worship God in small groups in small
the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt through places which will be called Synagogue by praying
Moses and the giving of the Decalogue or 10 and studying the Torah (commandments).
Commandments at Mt. Sinai. KING CYRUS OF PERSIA
-The 10 Commandments made God’s intention
-defeated Babylon and freed the Israelites and later
clearer, to free or to save people from going astray
allowed them to go back to Israel in 538 BC with the
using the Israelites, His chosen people as starting
guidance for a meaningful life and so this was the
point.
time they have written their wisdom books.

THE JESUS EVENT (Paschal Mystery)

-Jesus is the perfect embodiment of God’s mission. -The word bible is derived from the Latin word
The same process with that of the Old Testament, “Biblia,” a singular word derived from the Greek
that there was Jesus who personally worked for the word “Biblia,” meaning “Books”.
Kingdom, later the apostles will continue Jesus’
-The Greek word “Biblion,” which means book or roll
mission by preaching (oral tradition) and at their old
is derived from “Byblos” because the collection of
age will be the writing.
written materials was made of papyrus, the Greek
-The Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) called it Biblia. Eventually, the plural form Biblia was
wrote their gospels at the second half of the 1 st used by Latin-speaking Christians to denote all the
century A.D (50-100 AD) which was the stage of the books of the Old and New Testament.
early Church. Aside from the Gospels, the other
books of the New Testament such as the Pauline
Letters and the other Epistles were written at this era Names used for the bible
and even later.
1. HOLY WRIT
-The Catholic Church started to compile all the books
which they believed to be inspired by the Holy Spirit - “Writ” literally means something that is written.
from the time of Prophets until after the Jesus’ event The Bible is also called Holy Writ because it contains
which they will call Bible. The compiled books of the salvation history that started with the call of
Bible since 360 A.D were all 73. 46 Books form the Abraham and climaxed with Jesus’ Paschal Mystery.
Old Testament which includes the 7 Deutero-
canonical and 27 books of the New Testament. 2. HOLY SCRIPTURES

-The Church carefully discerned the canon/books of -The Bible is called Holy Scriptures which was taken
the sacred scriptures. It was Tertullian (200 AD) who from the Latin scriptus, meaning ‘written” and Greek
introduced the “Old Testament” for the “Graphe” and Hebrew “Mikra”. The word refers to
Jewish/Israelites Scriptures and the “New the religious writings that are considered
Testament” for the Christian Scriptures. (From the authoritative, foundational, and/or sacred by some
very beginning, there were no protestant churches religious groups.
yet since they started emerging in the 16 th century
and they will later follow the Canon of the Israelites 3. THE WORD OF GOD
who did not accept the 7 Deutero-canonical books as -The Greek term used is Logos, which means “a word
inspired by the Holy Spirit. as embodying a concept or discourse.” It is also used
-The Israelites who did not acknowledge Jesus as the of the “revelation of God’s word.”
Messiah and stick to their Old Testament and beliefs 4. THE ORACLES OF GOD
and practices called their religion Judaism in 70 A.D
They only finalized the compilation/canon of their -This name is used in Rom. 3:2 and Acts 7:38 where it
sacred scriptures around 930-1009 A.D. They called is translated as oracles. For Christians, the whole
their canon of sacred Scriptures TaNaK which stands Bible can be called “The Oracles of God” because it
for Torah (Law/Pentateuch), Nevi’im contains God’s divine utterance for humanity.
(Prophets/Prophetic Books), Ketuvi’m
(Writings/wisdom books).

-The TaNaK is composed of 24 books. In their 5. THE LAW (TORAH)

counting it is 24 but if you count their books
-The Jews call their Scriptures as Torah or Law,
individually, it is 39. They only have 39 books since
because the whole of the Old Testament is
they didn’t include the 7 Deutero-canonical books.
authoritative as God’s word of instructions to
humanity on how to live well as human beings.

6. THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS

BIBLE
-This name looks at the Old Testament from the has the authority to approve and reject a book to be
perspective of its divisions- the law, the prophets and included in the Scriptures.
the writings.
-With these in mind, let us look at the relationship of
BIBLICAL INSPIRATION Biblical Inspiration and Biblical Canon. Inspiration is
the work of the Holy Spirit while canonicity is the
The human authors were chosen by God, inspired by work of the Church.
the Holy Spirit/ directed by divine presence to write
the truth about our Salvation or in short called -Inspiration is simultaneous with the composition
Salvific Truth. The Holy Spirit acted in and through since the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors.
the author’s own natural powers and abilities. God
-Canon of the Bible simply means the Church just
did not dictate what to write, but the Holy Spirit
collected and compiled into one the books which
made sure that in their choice of words and forms of
passed the criteria as being inspired by the Holy
expression they were conveying the message of
Spirit. The Church recognizes this book as the Word
God. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is the principal
of God for our Salvation. As sacred and inspired, it
author of Sacred Scriptures (CCC 304), but the
becomes Canonical.
message God wanted is embedded in human
language that corresponds to the intention of the Two groups of canonical books
author.
PROTOCANONICAL
INERRANCY OF THE BIBLE
-Proto is a Greek word which means “first”.
Since the Bible Is not a scientific book, not even a
Protocanonical books belong to the first collection of
pure historical one, there might be errors in it such
books (Canon) of which the Church had no difficulty
as spelling, grammar, structure and worldview, but
in accepting their inspired character. They easily
in terms of its salvific message which is the truth
passed the criteria as being inspired by the Holy
about our salvation has no error. Why? Because it is
Spirit. These are the 39 books of the Old Testament
inspired by the Holy Spirit.
and the 27 books of the New Testament.
LANGUAGES OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES DEUTEROCANONICAL
Except for the Deutero-canonical books whose
-Deutero is also a Greek word, meaning second.
original manuscripts did not survive, all the Old
Deuterocanonical books belong to the second canon.
Testament scrolls were originally written in Hebrew
These books were carefully discerned and even
which is one of the ancient languages of the
disputed before being accepted by the Church as
Israelites. The New Testament books were all
inspired.
written in Greek.
-The Deuterocanonical books are the books of
Judith, Tobit, Baruch, Wisdom, Sirach, Maccabees
and 2 Maccabees.

- Moreover, there are some books which came out

after the death of the Apostles which are not
BIBLICAL CANON inspired. These books are called Apocryphal Books.
The word Apokriptus in Greek means hidden. Thus,
-A collection/list of books in which the Church
in order for the readers not to be misled with the
receives as divinely inspired and which she
teachings of the uninspired books, the Church
considers as norm of faith and morals. We say that
invalidates its credibility as a norm of faith and
the Bible is a library---books within a book. Like a
morals.
librarian, the Church takes into account the list of
books to be treated as the official roster which we Events that will support the inclusion of the 7
should uphold as divinely inspired. Thus, the Church deutero-canonical books
1.SEPTUAGINT OR LXX:
This was a Greek translation of the Old Testament by
72 Jewish Scholars in Egypt upon the request of King
Ptolemy Philadelphus around 300-200 BC. The
Jewish scholars translated their scriptures from
Hebrew to Greek and they came out with 46 copies
(OT). This means that the 7 deutero-canonical books
had their original bases, but these copies may have
been destroyed or were not preserved. This
Septuagint version of the Old Testament was also
used by the apostles.
Comparison of Old Testament Canons
Roman Catholic
Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)
Orthodox Canons
2.DEAD SEA SCROLLS
This event had happened after the Canon of the
Bible was finalized, but greatly proves that the
inclusion of the 7 Deutero-canonical books in the
Bible is correct. Between the years 1947 and 1956
they discovered scrolls in eleven caves along the
Northwest shore of the Dead Sea which were ancient
copies of all the 46 Old Testament, these copies were
most likely written by the Essenes around 200 BC.
and
Protestant Canon
Torah Pentateuch
Bereshith – Genesis Genesis
Shemot – Exodus Exodus
Vayikra – Leviticus Leviticus
Bamidbar – Numbers Numbers
Devarim – Deuteronomy Deuteronomy

Nevi'im History
Y'hoshua – Joshua Joshua Pentateuch
Shophtim – Judges Judges Genesis
Sh'muel - Samuel (I & II) Ruth Exodus
M'lakhim - Kings (I & II) Samuel Leviticus
Y'shayahu – Isaiah Kings Chronicles Numbers
Yir'mi'yahu – Jeremiah Ezra and Nehemiah Deuteronomy
Y'khezqel – Ezekiel Tobit*
Judith* History
The Twelve Prophets Esther + Additions to Esther Joshua
Hoshea – Hosea
Judges
Yo'el – Joel Poetry & Wisdom Ruth
Amos – Amos Job 1-2 Samuel
Ovadyah – Obadiah Psalms 1-2 Kings
Yonah – Jonah Proverbs 1-2 Chronicles
Mikhah – Micah Ecclesiastes Ezra and Nehemiah
Nakhum – Nahum Song of Solomon Esther
Havakuk – Habakkuk Wisdom of Solomon*
Ts'phanyah – Zephaniah Ecclesiasticus (Wisdom of ben
Khagai – Haggai Sirach)*
Z'kharyah – Zechariah
Poetry & Wisdom
Mal’akhi – Malachi Job
Prophets Psalms
Isaiah Proverbs
Ketuvim Jeremiah Ecclesiastes
Lamentations Song of Solomon
The "Sifrei Emet," "Books of Baruch, + The Letter of
Truth" Jeremiah (Roman Catholic Prophets
Tehillim – Psalms Only) Isaiah
Mishlei – Proverbs Ezekiel Daniel, + Jeremiah
Iyov - Job Additions to Lamentations
Daniel (Prayer of Ezekiel
The "Five Megilot" or Azariah; Song of the Daniel
"Five Scrolls" Three Young Men; Hosea
Susanna; Bel and Joel
Shir Hashirim - Song the Dragon)* Amos
of Songs Rut – Ruth Osee (Hosea) Obadiah
Eikhah – Lamentations Joel Jonah
Kohelet – Ecclesiastes Amos Micah
Esther – Esther Abidas (Obadiah) Nahum
Jonas (Jonah) Habakkuk
The rest of the "Writings" Micheas (Micah)
Daniel – Daniel Zephaniah
EXPLANATION OF TERMS:
Etymologically the word Canon comes from the 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.

-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.

SOME OF THE MAJOR GENRES WITHIN THE HEBREW BIBLE {OLD TESTAMENT}
FOUNDATIONAL MYTHS AND LEGENDS
-Narratives about the beginning of the world, the first generations of humans, early years of nation,
intended to provide foundational worldview upon which people base their communal and individual lives.
(E.g., Gen. parts of Exod., Num & Deut)

LEGAL CODES
-Collection of laws by which the people are to live (Lev, parts of Exod., Num, Deut)

GENEALOGIES
-Lists of inter relationships between peoples, either of successive generations or different nations. (Parts of
Gen, much of Num)

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. (Isiah, Jeremiah, etc.)

PSALMS
-Poetic lyrics of songs/hymns intended for communal worship and individual prayer. (Psalms)

LAMENTS
-Words addressed by people to God, especially reflecting situations of crisis or laments.

APOCALYPSES
-symbolic narratives that interpret historical crises through God’s eyes to provide hope for a better future.
(dan)
PROVERBS
-generalized sayings and aphorisms containing advice on how to live well: “do good and avoid evil”

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)

SOME OF THE MAJOR GENRES WITHIN THE NEW TESTAMENT

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.

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.

LETTER/EPISTLES
-real letters addressing practical and theological issues relevant to communities.

HOMILY/SERMON
-an exegetical sermon that cites and interprets older biblical texts in reference to Jesus. (Heb)

-more stylized works in letter format; circular letters intended for broader audiences. (1 & 2 Pt)

-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, Exegesis and Eisegesis . 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.

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.

THE PATRIARCHS
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.”

-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.” 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.
STORY OF NOAH
-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.

TOWER OF BABEL
-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 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.

THE CALL OF ABRAHAM

GENESIS 12:1-3
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. And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so
that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by
you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.”

-Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran. He 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, Abram passed through
the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time, the Canaanites were in the land. 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.

WHAT ARE THE THREE THINGS THAT GOD PROMISED TO ABRAHAM? WHICH ONE IS CLEARLY
TELLING US THAT GOD CALLING ABRAHAM WAS JUST THE BEGINNNG OF HIS PLAN TO GIVE
SALVATION TO HUMANITY?
-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 Israelites. The 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 changing their names and the
circumcision (Genesis 17:1-22).

Circumcision
- is a sign of cleanliness and holiness, which means that one must walk blameless with God.

The changing of names has a deep and greater implication. In Genesis 17:5,15, God will change the names
of Abram and Sarai into Abraham and Sarah.

-Change of names in the Bible greatly implies the change that the person must undergo, and the name
greatly signifies one’s mission that he will carry out. One good example of this is the name “Jesus” which
means savior (Matthew 1:21). With this, Abraham’s mission was to become the “Father of a Multitude of
Nations”.

HOW WILL ABRAHAM BECOME THE “FATHER OF A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS”?

Biologically, Abraham was the father of the Hebrew nation only or the Israelites.

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”.

Now, how will Abraham become the “father of a multitude of nations” or how can we call Abraham our
father?

TRUSTEE
- the people descended from Abraham. They’re 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.

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.

-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.

IS ABRAHAM SOMEHOW SPECIAL, OR BETTER, OR MORE RELIGIOUS THAN OTHER PEOPLE?

-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 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. 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.

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.

-He 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 the Egypt and sold
him to Potiphar who was a courtier and chief steward of the pharaoh.

-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 of 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 to 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.

INTRODUCTION

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

- title of a king in Egypt

- like emperor in Rome or a president in a republic

The 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 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.

WHY IS MOSES SO IMPORTANT IN THE LIFE OF THE ISRAELITES?

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

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. 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. And Moses said, “I will turn aside and see this great sight, why the
bush is not burnt." 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.” 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." 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. 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, 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. 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. Come, I will send you to
Pharaoh that you may bring forth my people, the sons of Israel out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God,
"Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” 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 Gad 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
l am here, and l 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 spokesperson 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.

INTRODUCTION

The story of the prophet Moses is deeply associated with the Pass Over and the Exodus event. His calling by
the God YHWH was greatly for this purpose. As discussed in our lesson last week, Moses was called by God
to go and lead the Israelites out from Egypt since they were enslaved and being maltreated. God had to
convince Moses with the assurance of His presence and with the assistance of his brother Aaron as his
speaker when they will confront the Pharaoh of Egypt to plea for the release of the Israelites. So, what is
Pass Over as a preliminary for the Exodus event?

MOSES IN THE PALACE OF THE PHARAOH AND THE TEN PLAGUES

After encountering God in the burning bush at Midian and obeying His call to go and lead the Israelites out
from their slavery in Egypt, Moses also had to convince the Israelites that the God who called him was the
God of their ancestors. This is the God who made a covenant with Abraham and sustained it through Isaac,
Jacob, and now with the Israelites who, he will form as His Chosen People. After the Israelites believed in his
words, Moses will now go to the Pharaoh and plead for their release from Egypt.

How will Moses convince the pharaoh to release the Israelites? Moses was not a leader or even a king of a
nation so he could convince the Pharaoh with his own power; but he knows that he was just an instrument
of God. So, he had to convince the pharaoh with this plea in the name of God “Let my people go that they
may hold a feast for Me in the wilderness” (Exodus 5:2). This will be continued in verse 3 when the Pharaoh
did not grant his plea " .... that we may offer sacrifice to the Lord, our God." This strongly tells that there is
no other big reason to be freed than to be with God, to worship Him and enjoy His presence.

On the part of the Pharaoh, how come that he was so hesitant to release the Israelites aside from economic
and political reasons? That without the Israelites as their slaves, they will lose their workers and so will not
have much production in terms of their economic resources. How come that it was so hard for him to believe
in the God of the Israelites? Exegesis would tell us that Egypt had their own gods and the Pharaoh is a
mediator to these gods. So, the Pharaoh would think that more than Moses, he is also a deity or a son of one
of these gods. By the way, the name they used to refer to the Pharaoh during the time of Moses was
Ramses or Ramesis. 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 the true God now between
him and the Israelites? With this, comes the need for the Ten Plagues to happen to show the Pharaoh if who
is really the true God.

The Plagues would come one after another just to convince the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. There were
ten plagues of which the most difficult one was the death of the first born of the Egyptians. These are:
water turning to blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence/death of livestock, boils which infect people, the hails
which destroyed the plantations, locusts which eat the plants/leaves, darkness and the killing of firstborn
children. Each time, Pharaoh promises to free the Israelites after experiencing the worse plagues but
reverses his decision when the plague is lifted - until the last one. Only after the last plague which was the
death of the first born of the Egyptians did Pharaoh allow the Israelites to go since this was very painful on
the part of the Egyptians.

REBYU WELL
FIGHTING!!!!

Week 7: PLAGUES

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. 

Aaron’s walking stick (Exodus 7:8-13)

“If the king demands that you prove yourselves by performing a miracle, tell Aaron to take
his walking stick and throw it down in front of the king, and it will turn into a snake.” So, Moses and
Aaron went to the king and did as the Lord had commanded. Aaron threw his walking stick down in
front of the king and his officers, and it turned into a snake. Then the king called for his wise men
and magicians, and by their magic they did the same thing. But Aaron’s stick swallowed theirs. The
king however, remained stubborn & just as the Lord had said, the king would not listen to Moses
and Aaron.

10 PLAGUES
 The 10 plagues of Egypt is also known as “10 plagues” or “biblical plagues” are
describe in Exodus chapter 7:12.
Exodus - is the second of the first five groups of the Judea Christian also called the “ Torah”
or “Pentateuch”.

Confirmation of Moses Authority:

Ex 7:16 Free Israelites
"Let My people go, so that they may serve me in the wilderness."
Ex 12:12 Bring judgment on the gods of Egypt
"... and i will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt-f, the LORD!"
Ex 9-16, 11:9 God's self revelation
"Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you, so My wonders may be multiplied in Egypt "
Ex 10:2 Lasting testimony
"... that you may tell your children and grandchildren ... may know that i am the Lord.

Exodus 7:16
1. Free the Israelites and show them the God of the father was alive and worthy od
their worship to show the Egyptians that their God is nothing. Israelites was slave
by the Egyptians for more than 400 years.
2. God promise Moses he would demonstrate his power to convince the Pharaoh but
at the same time, he would convincing the Hebrews to follow his back.
FIRST CYCLE PLAGUES – features the use of staff and the presence of pharaoh’s wizards.
Aaron
Water Turned to Blood Exodus 7:14-25
Plague of Blood: Pharaoh was warned at the Nile (7:14-18), and the water is struck with
Aaron's staff (7:19-21), turning all the Nile into blood. The wizards performed the same
sign (7:22a), and Pharaoh's "heart became hard" (7:22b-25)

 Nile was the heartbeat of Egypt - trade, commerce, crops

Direct attack against:

Apis - the godof the Nile
Isis - goddess of the Nile
Khnum - guardian of Nile
Osiris - god of the underworld whose bloodstream was the Nile

 All waters became like blood (even drinking water). Where were the
gods/goddesses of the Nile to help the Egyptians during this first plague?

 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.”
- River water turned into blood and the fishes died and the river will stink so much that the
Egyptians will not be able to drink from it.

The Frog Exodus 8:1-15

Plague of Frogs: Pharaoh warned of frogs (8:1-4). Aaron stretched his staff over the waters
of Egypt (8:5-6) and the land was covered in frogs. The wizards performed the same sign
(8:7). Pharaoh agreed to let the people go sacrifice if the frogs were takenaway, but later
"he hardened his heart" (8:8-15)

 And they gathered them together upon heaps; and the land stank. (Ex 8:14)
Direct attack against:
Heqt(Heket) - Creator of the world and the goddess of birth (head and body of a frog)
-She assisted women during childbirth

 Asked Moses for God to take them away Where was Heqt?

 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 on
you, your people and all your officials.’
- Aaron held it out over all the water, and the frogs came out and covered the land.
- The magicians used magic, they also made frogs come up to the land.
- Moses and Aaron left the king, and Moses prayed to the Lord to take away the frogs which
he had brought on the King.

The Lice [Gnats] Exodus 8:16-19

Plague of Lice: Aaron stretched his staff over the dust and it became gnats (8:16-17) The
wizards failed to produce the sign and acknowledge God's power (8:18-19), but Pharaoh's
"heart was hard" (8:19)

 The word kinnim is translated as lice, sand fleas, or fleas it comes from the word
meaning "to dig"

Direct attack against:

Geb - god of the earth
Set - The Gnat the god of the desert

 What could they do?

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

SECOND CYCLE PLAGUES – presents the absence of both the staff and the wizards who
only appear in the narrative of plague six in order to humorously accent the escalation of
the judgment. They cannot come before Moses because they have boils themselves.
The Flies Exodus 8:20-32
Plague of Swarms: Pharaoh was warned al the Nile in Goshen (8:20-23) The plague came
(8:24), and Pharaoh suggested they sacrifice in Egypt close by, but later "hardened his
heart" (8:25-32).

 Moses does not use the word "flies" but rather "swarms"
 It may have been a plague of beetles (scarab beetles)
 The scarab beetle was actually a dung beetle

Direct attack against:

Uatchit - the fly god

 This was the 1st plague in which God makes a distinction between His people and
the Egyptians
 God puts redemption between His people and the Egyptians
 Did Amon-Ra do that?

 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.
The Murrain (Death of livestock) Exodus 9:1-7
Plague of Livestock: Pharaoh warned that God will strike Egypt's livestock while protecting
Israel's. (9:1-5) The plague came (9:6) and though Pharaoh saw the distinction, his "heart
was unyielding" (9:7)

 Plague against domesticated animals of Egypt

 Bulls and bull-calves were sacred and used for sacrifices (heifers not sacrificed
because they were sacred to Isis)

Direct attack against:

Apis - Apis Bull was a living image of the god Ptah-had the power of prophecy

Hathor - cow-headed goddess of the desert; symbolic mother of pharaoh

 The flies would have become carriers of infectious diseases (anthrax bacteria) and
this would have infected the livestock.

 DEATH OF THE ANIMALS/PESTILENCE

- 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 Blisters Exodus 9:8-12

Plague of Boils: Moses and Aaron threw dust in the air and boils spread on the people and
cattle (9:8-10). The wizards could not come before Moses because they had boils (9:11).
"Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart" (9:12)

 Skin anthrax?
 Boils on the knees, legs, and soles of the feet
 This explains why pharaoh's magicians couldn't stand before Moses

Direct attack against:

Serapis - god of healing
Isis - the goddess over healings
Imhotep - god of medicine who was a real man during Zozer's reign
Thoth - god of intelligence and medical learning
Sekhmet – the goddess of diseases

 BOILS
- 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.

THIRD CYCLE PLAGUES – again features the staff for the plagues 7 and 8 but Moses uses
his hand for plague 9. The first plague in each group comes after morning warning to
Pharaoh. The second in each cycle features Pharaoh warned. The third plague in each cycle
simply comes on the Egyptians.
The Hail Exodus 9:13-35
Plague of Hail: Pharoah is given a morning warning (9:13-21). Moses stretched his staff to
the sky and the storm began (9:22-26). Pharaoh "confessed his sin" and promised to let
the people go if the hail was stopped, but later he hardened his heart (9:27-35).

 Cairo receives about 2 inches of rain per year

Direct attack against:

Set - the god of storm
Nurt - the sky goddess
Orisis - the god of fertility

 Where are these gods?

HAIL (Torrential rain, thunder)

- The Lord, the God of Hebrews says, “Let my people go, so that they will 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.

The Locusts Exodus 10:2-20

Plague of Locusts: Pharaoh is warned again (10:1-6). Pharaoh's servants asked him to le
the men go (10:7), and Pharaoh suggested that only the men go (10:8-11). Moses
stretched his staff over the land and the locusts came (10:12-15). Pharaoh "confessed his
sin" and asked for the plague to be removed, but later "Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's
heart" (10:16-20)

 Locusts could destroy entire village food supplies in minutes

Direct attack against:

Nepri - god of grain
Isis - goddess of life
Min - god of fertility and vegetation, Protector of crops
Seth - god of crops
Thermuthis - goddess of fertility and the harvest

 The Egyptian gods were silent

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.

The Darkness Exodus 10:21-29

Plague of Darkness: Moses stretched his hand to the sky and darkness fell-except in
Goshen where the Israelites were (10:2123). Pharaoh agreed to let go all the people but
not the animals, but later "Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart (10:24-29)

 The plague was insult to Egypt's entire religion and entire culture

Direct attack against:

Amon-Ra - sun god
Horus - god of light
Ptah - created the moon, sun, and earth
Tem - god of the sunset
Shu - god of sunlight and air

 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry withthe wicked everyday. If he
turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. (Ps 7
11-12)

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.

*PASS OVER MEAL- instead of doing a lamb offering which they burn on top of an altar as a
sacrifice also called “burnt offering”, they will take the blood of the lamb and put it at their
doorposts and lintel of their houses and they will eat the roasted lamb with unleavened
bread and bitter herbs. They will eat it in a hurried manner as if they are ready for a journey.
After eating the Pass over meal,, they will enter their house since during the night, God will
strike the Egyptians with the 10th plague. The blood will serve as a sign that will save them
from the last plague.
 SACRIFICE/ BRUNT OFFERING
After the pass over meal and the Israelites entered their houses and locked their
doors, then the 10th plague came.

The Death of the First Born Exodus 11:12

The first born was not only an heir of a double portion of his father's inheritance, but
represented special qualities of life
- The death of a firstborn son would cripple a family legally and emotionally.

 This plague was more devastating than all others combined

 Directed against ALL the gods of Egypt
 This plague is the most memorable (Hebrews 11:28)

DEATH OF THE NEW FIRST BORN

- At midnight, the Lord killed all the firstborn sons and all the first born of their animals.
There was a loud crying throughout Egypt, because there was not one at home in which
there was not a dead son.
- After that plague, the king made the Israelites leave 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. The Israelites carried away the wealth of the Egyptians.
- The name of the Pharoah during the time of Moses was Rameses. “Ra” means son and
“Ses” means sun. the Pharoah is the son of the god of sun. It was difficult for the Pharaoh
to accept that there is another god.
- The exodus of the Israelites will be culminated by their crossing of the red/reed sea since
the Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued 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 was a reminder to the Israelites of the day God freed them from
slavery. The Israelites celebrates the feast of the Passover every year since it is their
Independence Day.
- Exodus means departure. When the settled in the promised land, they will celebrate this
in the temple in Jerusalem with the rituals of Slaughtering a paschal (Passover) lambs; the
consumption of its meat in a domestic meal. This feast is called “Pesah” in Hebrew.

EFFECTS OF PLAGUES

- They were tortured by the very things they worshipped.

- Moses and the children of Israel gained favor in the eyes of the People of Egypt.

- Many of them were able to realize there is no God like the God of Israel

Week 8: 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 COMMANMENTS

- After leaving Egypt, the Israelites reached the Sinai Desert. They spent 2 days preparing to
meet God at the “mountain of God”.
- Moses received the 10 commandments at Mt. Sinai after 3 days. (Near the burning bush)

COMMANDMENTS

- On the third day, Moses receives the 10 commandments at Mt. Sinai

- Two days preparing to meet God at the mountain of God.

- It’s our responsibility and duty to follow his commandments.

- Salvation comes first and obedience should follow.

1ST COMMANDMENT
“I AM THE LORD YOU GOD: YOU SHALL NOT HAVE OTHER GODS BESIDE ME.”

- covenant with the Israelites as His chosen people

- “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 this 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.

 IDOLATRY – worshipping someone else or something other than God.

 DIVINATION AND MAGIC- putting 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 test.
 SIMONY- buying or selling the things that God offers.
 SACRILEGE- the act of treating holy objects/places with disrespect.
 AETHEISM- refusing to believe in God.
 AGNOSTICISM- not sure about God or indifferent to God.
 SYNCRETISM- the act of treating holy objects/places with disrespect.
 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. Example: Catholic mam said that God doesn’t exist.
 VENERATION vs. WORSHIP

Veneration - respect sacred/holy place. It’s for saints, mother mary and church.

Worship - Adoring/praising. It’s only for God.

CLARIFICATION ON THE MEANING OF THE WORD IDOLS, AND THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN WORSHIP ANDVENERATION
- 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 ARK OF THE COVENENT

(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.

2nd COMMANDMENT
“YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD, YOUR GOD IN VAIN.” (Exodus 20:7)

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.
 PROFANITY/CURSING- uttering offensive words in anger or annoyance especially when
using God's name.
 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.

3rd 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)

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 to
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.

Week 9:

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.

4th COMMANDMENT
‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER, THAT YOUR DAYS MAY BE LONG IN THE LAND WHICH
THE LORD YOUR GOD GIVES YOU.” (Exodus 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.

- 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.
- Also, 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.

DUTY OF CHILDREN:

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

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

 SERIOUS FAILURE TO CARE FOR AGED PARENTS/FAILURE TO CARRY OUT THE LAST WILL
OF A DECEASED PARENT- The commandment is very clear that we are to honor our
parents. That would include taking care of them in their time of need. Our parents
nurtured us during our childhood and possibly even up to our college years as well. It
makes sense for us to take care of them, and as long as their last will is not immoral, to
follow that up for them.
 SERIOUS DISRESPECT FOR OR DISOBEDIENCE TO PARENTS, SUPERIORS OR AUTHORITIES-
We are not to wish death or evil on anybody, but most importantly to our parents.
 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.

5th COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALL NOT KILL.” (Exodus 20:13)

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

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

 HOMICIDE- the crime of killing another person or human.

 MURDER- the same with homicide but with intentions (pre-planned)
 INFANTICIDE- the crime of killing a child within a year of birth.
 FRATRICIDE- killing one’s brother or sister.
 SUICIDE- 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- 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, I-II, 64.7)
 EUTHANASIA- it's 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.

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)

6th COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.” (Exodus 20:14)

- Adultery is when a person gives to another the love that belongs to a husband and wife.
This is forbidden by the 6th Commandment. But implicit in the commandment is any form
of undue sexual activity that leads oneself or another into sin.
- So, it covers a wide variety of subjects. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and we
should therefore respect them and cover them modestly. We must also respect those of
the opposite sex. The 6th commandment forbids all impurity and immodesty in words,
looks, and actions, whether alone or with others. Examples of this would be: touching
one's own body or that of another without necessity simply to satisfy sinful curiosity,
impure conversations, dirty jokes, looking at bad pictures, and undue familiarity with the
opposite sex.
- The Sixth Commandment summons spouses to practice permanent and exclusive fidelity to
one another. Emotional and sexual fidelity are essential to the commitment made in the
marriage covenant. God established marriage as a reflection of His fidelity to us. The vows
made by the spouses at their wedding to be faithful to one another forever should witness
the very covenant God has made with us.
- All people—married, single, religious, and ordained—need to acquire the virtue of chastity.
“Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the
inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being” (CCC, #2337). Chastity unites our
sexuality with our entire human nature. It approaches sexuality as related to our spiritual
natures so that sex is seen as more than a physical act. Sexuality affects the whole person
because of the unity of body and soul. Jesus is the model of chastity. “Chastity includes an
apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom” (CCC, #2339). The
acquisition of chastity depends on self-discipline and leads to an internal freedom, which
enables human beings to temper sexual desires according to God’s plan for the
appropriate expression of love in the marital relationship of a man and a woman.

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

  ADULTERY- a voluntary sexual activity (as sexual intercourse) committed by a wife to a
married man and should be charged together.
 CONCUBINAGE- is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman
in which the couple does not want to a full marriage or cannot enter into a full marriage.
 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 (Men) - marriage in which two or more women share a husband.
 Polyandry (Women) - a woman has more than 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/women 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.

Week 10:

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.

7th COMMANDMENT

“THOU SHALL NOT STEAL” (Exodus 20:15)

- 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).

HERE ARE SOME OF THE SINS AGAINST THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT:

The Seventh Commandment expressly forbids: Theft, robbery, cheating, usury, injuring the
property of another, detention of goods that have been found or lent, and the non-payment of
debts.

JUSTICE AND CHARITY

 Justice- is the moral virtue that “consists in the constant and firm will to give what is
due to God and neighbor.”
 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.”

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.

8th COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST THY NEIGHBOR.” (Exodus 20:16)
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)

HERE ARE SOME OF THE OFFENSES AGAINST TRUTH:

 LIES- lie is an assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with purpose of deceiving
someone.
 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
 RASH JUDGMENT- which assumes, without proof, someone has done wrong.
 DETRACTION- which is telling the faults of another to those who have no reason to
know the information.
 CALUMNY- which is lying about another and causing others to form false negative
opinions of the individual.

-the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order to

damage their reputation; (synonymous to slander and defamation.)

9th COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALL NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR’S WIFE.” (Deuteronomy 5:21)

- 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.

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, 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.

FORBIDDEN ACT BY THE NINTH COMMANDMENT:

 ACT OF LASCIVIOUSNESS- it is an act of making a physical contact with the body of another
person for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification other than, or without intention of
sexual intercourse.
- having impure thoughts and desires.

10th 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. Avarice, like fornication,
originates in the idolatry prohibited by the first three prescriptions of the Law.

SPECIFIC SIN THAT GO AGAINST TO THE 10TH COMMANDMENT:

 AVA
RICE-
extre
me
gree
d for
wealt
h or
mate
rial
gain.
Week 11: 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.

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)

- From the desert, the Israelites need to cross the Jordan River for them to enter Canaan
(Promised Land). How did they do this? They crossed it with the Ark of the Covenant
carried by the priests. When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord,
the Lord of the whole earth, touched the water of the Jordan, it ceased flowing until all
Israelites crossed over on dry ground. (Joshua 3:5-17)

- After crossing the Jordan River, the Israelites camped in Gilgal on the eastern limits of
Jericho. At Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones, saying to the Israelites, “In the future,
when the children among you ask their fathers what these stones mean, you shall inform
them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan with the help of the Lord just as the Lord, your God, had
done in the Red Sea, in order that all the peoples of the earth may learn that the hand of
the Lord is mighty, and that you may fear the Lord, your God, forever.” (Joshua 4:19-24)

- With the leadership of Joshua, God allowed the Israelites to conquer Jericho and other
cities in the Promised Land. When they conquered most part of Canaan/promised land,
Joshua divided the land among the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe of Levi was not given
since it was dedicated to the priesthood/priestly clan. This means that the people will take
care of their priests. Before his death, Joshua renewed Israel’s covenant with the Lord. He
told the Israelites to remain faithful to the Lord/YHWH and keep His
statutes/Commandments or else they will perish. (Joshua 24)

- Since the Israelites are now settled in Canaan/promised Land, the only thing they need to
do was to remain faithful to the Lord/YHWH. If there are problems or disputes among the
tribes or if they are being attacked by their enemies and they cry out to the Lord, leaders
would come out to deliver them from these adversaries. With this situation, leaders would
only come out when needed; so, leaders just come and go. These leaders will be called the
Judges.

THE BOOK OF JUDGES

- The Book of Judges tell the story of the Israelites after the death of Joshua of which the
pattern was, when they obeyed God's commands, they were victorious over their enemies,
but when they rebelled against Him, they were defeated and oppressed. Judges was the
 title of the leaders of the Israelites during this time. They were the transition leaders
before the emergence of the kings. There were 12 judges in all; Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar,
Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon and Samson. Including Barak
and Samuel in some category, there will be 14.

- These Judges served as military leaders in times of crisis, rather than judges in the legal
sense of the world. The great lesson of these books is that Israel’s survival depended on
Fidelity/faithfulness to God, while unfaithfulness always leads to disaster. But there was
something more than this: even when the nation was unfaithful to God and disaster came,
God was always ready to save his people when they repented and turned to him again.

DIFFERENT MESSAGES OF THE STORY OF SOME OF THESE JUDGES

 DEBORAH – She is the only female judge, and a prophetess. Her name means “honeybee,”
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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

Week 12:

The prosperous life of the Israelites in the Promised Land/Canaan had some negative
effect. They had forgotten or become unfaithful to the God of their ancestors especially with their
marriage to Canaanite women which resulted in the worship of the Canaanite god (Baal: their god
of fertility). Their faith in God-YHWH which was the only uniting force/element was no longer
there. They were no longer strongly united as people of God/YHWH. This situation often caused
their defeat and oppression from their enemies. During this period, the Israelites saw that the
Canaanites/Philistines were so great that they needed to be united under one military leader or
king. Such demand was directed to Samuel, who was the last of the judges of Israel.

CLARIFICATION OF SOME TERMS

Philistines is a modern term for the Canaanites. The Philistines or Canaanites were the first
migrants in Canaan, the land which God promised to the ancestors of the Israelites. The
Canaanites/Philistines are composed of different tribes such as the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,
Hivites and Jebusites, etc. Palestine is the modern term for the land of Canaan. The Israelites are
called such since they were the descendants of Jacob whose name is also Israel. Judah was one of
the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel. Later the whole land of Canaan will be called Israel and later the
southern part of the land will be called Judah or Judea where the Israelites will get their modern
name Jews.
SAMUEL:
Prophet, Last of the Judges and Anointer of Kings
- Samuel was a man chosen by God from his miraculous birth until his death. He is known by
answering God’s call when he was still young by saying: “Speak Lord, your servant is
listening”. He served in several important positions during his life, earning God's favor
because he knew how to obey.

- Israel’s often oppression from their enemies made them demand for a king to Samuel. At
first Samuel was hesitant since this was a sure evidence of their unfaithfulness and not
acknowledging God/YHWH as their King. Later Samuel will give in to their demand with
great conditions; The king must still acknowledge and be faithful to God/YHWH as the
Highest King and the king should be faithful to the Israelites’ covenant with God. If the king
and the people will again be unfaithful to God, they will be wiped away or perish.

THE FIRST THREE KINGS OF ISRAEL

 SAUL
- As the Lord granted the Israelites’ demand, Samuel anointed Saul as their first king. He was
a tall and handsome man from the tribe of Benjamin.

- “Then, from a flask he had with him, Samuel poured oil on Saul’s head; he also kissed him,
saying: “The Lord anoints you commander over his heritage. You are to govern the Lord’s
people Israel, and to save them from the grasp of their enemies round about.” This will
be the sign for you that the Lord has anointed you commander over his heritage: (1
Samuel 10:1)

- “Now you have the king you want, a king the Lord has given to you. If you fear the Lord and
worship him, if you are obedient to him and do not rebel against the Lord’s command, if
both you and the king who rules you follow the Lord your God – well and good. But if you
do not obey the Lord and if you rebel against his command, the Lord will deal severely with
you and your king.” (1 Samuel 12: 13-15, 21-25

- At the beginning of his reign, Saul appeared to be a meek and humble king, and a great
blessing for Israel. He had some good achievements like freeing Israel from their enemies
and extending their territorial boundaries, but soon did not live as expected of him by God.
He would greatly disobey God by listening more to his own desires and to the people
around him. He did not follow God’s plans especially in dealing with some enemies but
implemented his own desires. God was so displeased with Saul’s disobedience and
regretted making him king. This led to his rejection by God.
 Before the rise of David, there is a story of a woman named Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite or
non-Israelite who was married by Boaz. Boaz was the father of Obed, who was the father of Jesse
who became the father of David. So, Ruth who was a non-Israelite became the great grandmother
of the icon king David. The strong message is, anybody can become/join the people of God so long
as you believe in and be faithful to Him. God is not just a God for the Israelites. Recall Ruth’s very
remarkable words to her mother in law Naomi: “Your people will be my people and your God will
be my God”.

This story of Ruth is also the same with the story of Rahab, a woman from Jericho who saved the
two spies of Joshua and later joined the Israelites when they conquered Jericho. This will again
remind us that God’s salvific plan is intended for all people.

 DAVID
- 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 FALL OF THE KINGDOM OF SOLOMON

1. THE SINS OF SOLOMON

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

THE DIVIDED 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 treated people like slaves through forced labor and his punishment was that his kingdom
got divided into two. A larger part was taken by his servant Jeroboam, while smaller portion went
to his son Rehoboam. God still left two tribes for Solomon’s son for the sake of His promise of
eternal dynasty of David.

THE DIVISION AND FALL OF SOLOMON’S KINGDOM

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 Jeroboam built
a temple and placed a have to go to Jerusalem to worship God. He was afraid that his people might
be golden calf in it. 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 cause
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
were: “Thus says the Lord” since they were the “mouth of God”. The word prophet means "to
speak for".

THE PROPHETS OF ISRAEL – THE NORTHERN KINGDOM

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 were 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.

HOSEA

- he was called by God to prophesy in the Northern Kingdom probably before the end of the
eighth century BC, during the reign of Jeroboam 'I (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

ISAIAH

- he 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.

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-headed 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 prophesying 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 burned 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).

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 listen to
God through the prophets and reform their lives.
 REBUILDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD

1. Return from Exile

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

2. Restoration of God’s Law and Worship in Jerusalem

Because he had a thorough knowledge of the Law of God-the Law of Moses, Ezra instructed the
people about it and restored religious services, such as the observance of the Sabbath. Ezra
believed that their captivity in Babylon was a result of disobedience to the Law of God. He
therefore led the people in the public reading of the Law of God, and a regular instruction about it.
(Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6)
            Nehemiah led the restoration of the city’s ruined walls. He became the governor of Judah,
who reorganized the people and introduced some social and administrative reforms.
            With the leadership of Ezra, Nehemiah and other people, the household of God was
restored in Jerusalem after the period of exile and captivity. God has again shown that He does not
forsake His household.     

NOURISHING AND SUSTAINING THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD

PROVERBS

- After the return of the Israelites in their land from Babylon, the great challenge was on
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).

THE 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.

PSALMS

- is the hymnbook 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.

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.

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 teachings is that
There’s 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

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 here you
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.

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.

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.

INTRODUCTION

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 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

1. WORSHIPPING PLACES
a. Synagogue – Meeting place for prayer and studying the Word of God especially the Torah
(Law).
b. Temple – place to offer the lamb offering, where the Ark of the Covenant is located.

2. 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 pericopes, the small independent units of stories, parables, sayings, etc., of Jesus
compiled by the Christians. The evangelists were generally editors of these pericopes. In their tasks
as recorders of the Gospel tradition of behalf of the Church, they were especially guided by God’s
spirit, and experience called the gift of inspiration.
 
The following is a quick look at the most common information about the four Gospels that most
biblical scholars accept:

GOSPEL
MARK MATTHEW LUKE
information

Author (based on physician &

John Mark of Jerusalem apostle
tradition) companion of Paul

bilingual (Aramaic & bilingual (Aramaic & Gentile Christian

Implied author Greek) Christian of the Greek) early Jewish convert; well the “bel
2nd generation; Christian educated Greek

mixed:
wealthier Gentile
Audience mostly Gentiles, better educated Jews som
Christians
Sam

Galilee; or Antioch in
Place of Writing Rome Greece Galilee
Syria

Time of Writing 60’s or early 70’s late 70’s or 80’s mid to late 80’s main

Jesus, the
Jesus, the Suffering Jesus, the savior of Jesus,
Image of Christ “Emmanuel,” the
servant all humanity
expected Messiah

Number of Chapters 16 28 24

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.

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 lesous, from which we get Latin lesus 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 (lota-Eta Sigma).
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:

BIOGRAPHY OF JESUS

Full Name (English): Jesus of Nazareth

Name (Hebrew): YHSWA, Yehoshua, Yesu, Yeshua, Minetzeret

Name (Greek): lesous ho Nazoraios (lēsous o nazoraios)

Name (Latin): lesus 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 32-33 years old

Age at the time of death: about 29-30 years old (Lukan Gospel)

Religion: “Judaism”

Traditionally celebrated birthday by Catholics: December 25

Charges and accusations leading to His death: treason, blasphemy, violation of Jewish laws

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 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.

 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.

Christians use the Chi-Rho symbol (first two letters of “Christ" in Greek) as a
monogram for 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 “lesus
Nazarenus Rex ludaeorom”)

 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).

An ancient symbol contains the abbreviations for the name "Jesus” and “Christ"
(the first and last letters of each word in Greek), along with the verb “NIKA",
meaning “to conquer, win, be victorious"; thus, the phrase means “Jesus Christ is
victorious”.

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.

A. 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.

THE PARABLE OF JESUS

Parable can be defined as any figure of speech containing an arresting and illuminating
image, allegory and analogy. However, the Hebrew word for parable, “mashal” also means
“riddle”, something to puzzle the mind. Indeed, Jesus intended that His stories would strike the
mind of His audience to discover the truth behind the story and to act according to the message.
Here are some of the parables of Jesus that He taught to His people.

The Parable of the Sower The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

The Parable of the Mustard Seed The Parable of Talents

The Parable of the Prodigal Son The Parable of the Lost Coin

The Parable of the Ten Virgins The Parable of the Lost Sheep

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet The Parable of the Friend at Midnight

 
A. 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.
 
B. 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

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and behold, I am
with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

- 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