THEOLOGY 101

MODULE 1: My Faith that I seek to Understand

ROLE OF THEOLOGY - church's well-founded
➢ creative theological reflection of the commitment to remain faithful
basic realities and processes of to the gospel of Jesus Christ
understanding faith - Pope Paul VI
➢ invited/challenged to be more faithful
yet decisive and adaptive -
Relevance to
➢ with theology, we deepen our Fidelity to the
personal
Gospel church
connection with God (Aggiornamento)
experiences
(Ad Fontes)
➢ not just about doctrines and practices
of the Catholic church but also
applying these in everyday life
experiences 4 PIVOTAL DOCUMENTS OF VATICAN II
a. Lumen Gentium (Light of Nations) or
We need to start questioning things, and Dogmatic Constitution
be curious about our faith to be - life of Catholics within the
strengthened. Church itself
o Question – we want to clarify b. Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope) or
things Pastoral Constitution
o Doubt – we begin not to - treats the relationship of the
believe church with contemporary
situations
NEO-SCHOLASTIC METHODOLOGY c. Sacrosanctum Concilium (Sacred
➢ Neo-Scholasticism – division of religion Council) or Constitution on Sacred
and things outside the church like Liturgy
culture or local practices - importance, relevance and
➢ focus on knowing the contents of faith re-orientation of worship within
detached from the local Catholicism at the present
circumstances of people time
o Presentation of the church’s d. Dei Verbum (Word of God) or
official teaching or doctrine. Dogmatic Constitution
o Proofs supporting the doctrine - most important of the four
from the Bible and leading documents
church authorities. - deals with the relationship
o Speculative elaboration of the between God and people
doctrine ❖ Revelation – initiative of
o Possible practical application God; God’s action of
revealing supernatural
❖ Exegesis – interpret the bible truths for the sake of our
according to its own meaning salvation
❖ Eisegesis – own understanding ❖ Faith – human response to
God’s initiative
DOUBLE THRUST OF THE VATICAN II - To speak of revelation is to
a. Aggiornamento presume faith that would
- desire of the church for recognize it (Cacho & de
“renewal” Mesa, 2012)
- Pope John XXIII
b. Ad Fontes ❖ Christology – the way we perceive
- “return to the sources” Jesus as the Christ
 ❖ Ecclesiology – how we understand all generations all the she
the church herself is, all that she believes”
❖ Eschatology – what perspective b. Contemporary Human Experience
we have regarding the deep - Culture – a source to
meaning of life shared by God understand and probe deeply
with us into the mysteries of faith
o “culture and religion
➢ Church’s mission: safeguarding are inseparable
and revealing all the truths because one is a part
entrusted to it by Christ of the other” - deepest
and most spontaneous
DOING THEOLOGY interpretation
➢ process of carrying out theological o Language - voice of
reflection, articulation and action the culture speaking in
(McKim, 1996 in Cacho & de its own terms; the rich
Mesa, 2012) resource for
➢ Bevan: “No theology is not understanding culture
contextually” from within
➢ De Mesa: “There is no theology
except contextual theology”

❖ Theology
- a contextual understanding of
the faith
- De Mesa: begins with an
experience of God and
deepens it through meditative
(damdamin) and systematic
reflection (isip)
- St. Anselm of Canterbury:
“fides quaerens intellectum”
which means “faith-seeking-
understanding.

TWO POLES (BASES) IN THEOLOGICAL

REFLECTION
a. Judeo-Christian Tradition
- tradition: “tradere” or “to
transmit or hand over”
- “Now what was handed on by
the apostles includes
everything which contributes
to the holiness of life, and the
increase in faith of the people
of God, and so the church in
her teaching, life, and worship,
perpetuates and hands on to