UST – Institute of Religion

E. M. JAMILLA (Instructor)

• LIVING THE CHRISTIAN VISION IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD:

THEOLOGY 4:

Harmony of Faith and Life: Called to Holiness and Mission in Today’s World

“The joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the men of our time, especially of the poor or afflicted in any way, are the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well.” (GS, 7)

•What are the joys and hopes, fears and anxieties of the people, especially of the youth at present?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgUVQMirzfs

•The pervasive influence of the Internet and social media

•The emerging Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industrial Revolution 4.0

•The alarming issue on mental health

•The increasing rate of the religious “nones”

CONTEXT

Reproposing Holiness Today

Gaudete et Exsultate

•Pope Francis’ third apostolic exhortation “On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World” dated 19 March 2018 and published on 9 April 2018.

•In this particular document, his “modest goal” is “to reintroduce the call to holiness in a practical way for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and opportunities.”

Gaudete et Exsultate•which means “rejoice and be glad” is taken from Matthew 5:12, popularly known as the

Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus taught the Beatitudes, the charter of Christian life and discipleship, to which an entire section will be especially devoted in this apostolic exhortation.

•The text is organized into five sections or chapters: ➢ the call to holiness; ➢ the two subtle enemies of holiness: Gnosticism and Pelagianism; ➢ the Beatitudes as pathway to holiness; ➢ signs of holiness in today’s world; and ➢ spiritual combat, vigilance and discernment.

•The basic message of the document, which is an invitation to be holy addressed to every Christian believer, is an echo of the Universal Call to Holiness beautifully expressed in Lumen Gentium

•…all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity; ...They must follow in His footsteps and conform themselves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. They must devote themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor.” (LG, 40)

HOW SHOULD WE PROPERLY UNDERSTAND

HOLINESS?

COMMUNION OF SAINTS

SAINTS Oxford Dictionary of English

•“a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous and regarded in Christian faith as being in heaven after death.”

•the definition of saint in the stricter or more narrow sense, which is that of a person who has been formally “acknowledged” as holy and in heaven. This is established by a long and careful process of investigation that are hoped to culminate in the ceremonies of beatification and canonization whereby a person is proclaimed “Blessed” and “Saint” respectively in a formal and official way by the Church.

SAINTS

Catechism of the Catholic Church (see CCC 948)

•The term "communion of saints" has two closely linked meanings: • "communion in holy things (sancta)" and

"among holy persons (sancti)."

SAINTS

Catechism of the Catholic Church (see CCC 948)

•reminds us that the Church is a communion of saints and that the term saint pertains to all the faithful, that is, to all believers

•Within this communion of saints, the saints in heaven who have already been fully sanctified intercede for the saints who are still being sanctified on earth while both of them intercede for the saints in purgatory who are undergoing their final stage of purification.

SAINTS

•In essence, every Christian is a saint in process: whether in the beginning, penultimate or final stages.

•The faithful (sancti) are fed by Christ's holy body and blood (sancta) to grow in the communion of the Holy Spirit (koinonia) and to communicate it to the world.

To be holy does not require being a bishop, a priest or a religious. We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case. We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. (GE, 14)

•Call to Holiness•“My modest goal is to repropose the call to holiness in a practical way for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and opportunities” (GE, 2)

•“…all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity; ...They must follow in His footsteps and conform themselves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. They must devote themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor.” (LG, 40)

•Matthew 5:48 – "Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Lv 11:44; cf. 1 Pet 1:16)

•Three questions to guide our reflection…•What does a saint look like?•What makes a saint?•How can I become a saint?

APOSTLES

St. Peter

PATRIARCH

S

St. Joseph

MARTYRS

St. Lorenzo RuizANGELS

St. Michael

PROPHETS

St. John the Baptist

DOCTORS

St. Augustine

PASTOR

S

St. Dominic

VIRGINS

St. Clare

WIDOWS

St. Monica

Types of Saints

What does a saint look like?

Gaudete et Exsultate, 7

• I like to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God’s people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile.

•In their daily perseverance I see the holiness of the Church militant. Very often it is a holiness found in our next-door neighbours, those who, living in our midst, reflect God’s presence. We might call them “the middle class of holiness”.

“Next Door Saints”

Gaudete et Exsultate, 11

•“Each in his or her own way” the Council says. We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable.

•There are some testimonies that may prove helpful and inspiring, but that we are not meant to copy, for that could even lead us astray from the one specific path that the Lord has in mind for us.

•The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts (cf. 1 Cor 12:7), rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant for them.

•Holiness is about finding our specific mission in life and following that dream that the Lord wants to dream with us.

•“Each saint is a mission, planned by the Father to reflect and embody, at a specific moment in history, a certain aspect of the Gospel” (GE, 19)

•“Not everything a saint says is completely faithful to the Gospel; not everything he or she does is authentic or perfect. What we need to contemplate is the totality of their life, their entire journey of growth in holiness, the reflection of Jesus Christ that emerges when we grasp their overall meaning as a person” (GE, 22).

Holiness as Journey

•To recognize the word that the Lord wishes to speak to us through one of his saints, we do not need to get caught up in details, for there we might also encounter mistakes and failures. Not everything a saint says is completely faithful to the Gospel; not everything he or she does is authentic or perfect. What we need to contemplate is the totality of their life, their entire journey of growth in holiness, the reflection of Jesus Christ that emerges when we grasp their overall meaning as a person. (GE 22)

The Japanese have a word to describe this wonderful reality and that is “ikigai” which can be translated as “reason for being,” “that thing that you live for,” or “the reason you wake up in the morning” shown in the diagram:

IKIGAI

•“Ikigai” is the intersection of what we love, what we are good at, what we can be paid for and what the world needs. In this way, when our profession, passion, mission and vocation meet, our work and life itself becomes happy, meaningful and fruitful.

•To discover this, a good measure of self-knowledge is necessary, which can only be achieved if we cultivate a consistent daily habit of silent and prayerful reflection.

Unfortunately, many elements in our present culture do not favor this kind of self-rootedness:

❖ The presence of constantly new gadgets, the excitement of travel and an endless array of consumer goods at times leave no room for God’s voice to be heard.

❖ We are overwhelmed by words, by superficial pleasures and by an increasing din, filled not by joy but rather by the discontent of those whose lives have lost meaning. How can we fail to realize the need to stop this rat race and to recover the personal space needed to carry on a heartfelt dialogue with God?

❖ Finding that space may prove painful but it is always fruitful. Sooner or later, we have to face our true selves and let the Lord enter (GE, 29)

Two Subtle Enemies of Holiness

GNOSTICISM

•Gnosticism has to do with knowledge (in Greek, gnosis). •In the early Church, there was an elitist group who thought that they were better than the others because they had some secret knowledge, which the others did not know about.

•In its present manifestation, Gnosticism takes on the same “superiority complex” and religious elitism as those who think themselves to be more learned act like know-it-alls and begin to look down on everyone else. “Gnostics think that their explanations can make the entirety of the faith and the Gospel perfectly comprehensible.

•They absolutize their own theories and force others to submit to their way of thinking” (GE, 39).

Two Subtle Enemies of Holiness

PELAGIANISM•Named after Pelagius (c. 360–c. 420), a monk who denied the doctrine of original sin and overemphasized the power of human will, this refers to the belief that people can be saved just by their own efforts rather than by the grace of God. They count on merits to be worthy of God’s love rather than relying on God’s unconditional mercy, which is always unmerited and gratuitous.

•They share the same “superiority complex” and religious elitism and tend to look down on others who are not as good as they think they are. Like modern day Pharisees, they rigidly insist on laws and structures while forgetting to be considerate to people and compassionate especially to the weak.

•This is very dangerous because “once we believe that everything depends on human effort as channeled by ecclesial rules and structures, we unconsciously complicate the Gospel and become enslaved to a blueprint that leaves few openings for the working of grace” (GE, 59)”

Two Subtle Enemies of Holiness

In themselves, knowledge and competence are good things, but relying on them too much and becoming proud because of them can make us forget our constant need for God. Instead of feeling superior and being judgmental, thinking that we know more and are able to do more, we must place our knowledge and competence in the service of our brothers and sisters.

What does it mean to be a saint?

Happy Saints

•The Beatitudes are like a Christian’s identity card. So, if anyone asks: “What must one do to be a good Christian?”, the answer is clear. We have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount.

•In the Beatitudes, we find a portrait of the Master, which we are called to reflect in our daily lives. (GE 63)

In the third and central section of Gaudete et Exsultate, Pope Francis turns to the Gospel to find Jesus’ own definition of what it means to be holy. He tackles the so-called Beatitudes, which he describes as “a Christian’s identity card” (GE, 63) that distinguishes the true followers of Christ who reflect it in their own lives, each in his or her own unique way.

•In Latin, each of the Beatitudes begins with the word “beati” which means “happy” or “blessed.”

•Hence, the Pope notes that “the word ‘happy’ or ‘blessed’ thus becomes a synonym for ‘holy’.

•It expresses the fact that those faithful to God and his word, by their self-giving, gain true happiness.” As such, the Beatitudes are not only a path to holiness, but also to happiness.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

•Having wealth is not evil in itself but putting our security in wealth rather than in God can be very harmful to our spiritual life.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth

•Being meek is a synonym of being poor in spirit. Both are captured in the biblical word anawim as traits of those who put their trust in God rather than in wealth, or in this case, power. The meek are those who refuse to engage in the power play or compete in the rat race, but choose to focus instead on what is truly important in life.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted

•“a person who sees things as they truly are and sympathizes with pain and sorrow is capable of touching life’s depths and finding authentic happiness” (GE, 76).

•We need to learn how to deal with pain in a healthy and positive way, not allowing ourselves to be crushed by it, but to become stronger, wiser and more compassionate because of it. “Knowing how to mourn with others: that is holiness” (GE, 76).

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

•Jesus identifies this as the desire for justice, which is none other than “faithfulness to God’s will in every aspect of our life.” When our main desire is that the will of God be done in our life, we learn to become content with whatever we have and happy with whatever happens to us, trusting that our loving Father knows what is best for us.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy

•Pope Francis explains this Beatitude in a very straightforward way by saying that “Mercy has two aspects. It involves giving, helping and serving others, but it also includes forgiveness and understanding” (GE, 80). He goes on to add that “Giving and forgiving means reproducing in our lives some small measure of God’s perfection, which gives and forgives superabundantly” (GE, 81). In more simple words, mercy is imitating the infinite generosity and forgiveness of God.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God

•In Biblical language, the “heart” symbolically refers to the seat of a person’s intentions and emotions, the core of one’s being. Thus, to be pure in heart is none other than to love with a pure and self-less intention, without ulterior or self-serving motives.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God

•Saint Thomas Aquinas explains peace as “the proper effect of charity.”

•Pius XII took the motto “opus iustitiae pax” calling peace as the “work of justice”

•The Second Vatican Council called peace the “fruit of love” in Gaudium et Spes, 78.

•These people build friendship and understanding wherever they go with works of justice, solidarity and compassion. In this way, they show themselves true children of the God who creates beauty and harmony out of darkness and chaos (See Gen 1: 1-3ff) and reconciles broken humanity through the Cross. “Sowing peace all around us: that is holiness” (GE, 89).

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

•The way of the Christian is none other than the way of Christ himself, the way of the Cross.

•Pope Francis zeroes in on the fifth beatitude and calls it “the great criterion” (GE, 95) that will form the basis of our final judgment, as the Lord himself says in Mt 25: 31-46.

•He interprets this Gospel passage, not merely as an invitation to charity, but as “a page of Christology which sheds a ray of light on the mystery of Christ” who identifies himself with the poor and needy.

•Explaining this further, Francis tells us that “Our Lord made it very clear that holiness cannot be understood or lived apart from these demands, for mercy is ‘the beating heart of the Gospel’” (GE, 97).

•Not miracles but charity…

•The great, clear, ultimate criterion by which our lives will be judged (GE 95, 104, 105)

•It is the “key to heaven” (GE 105, EG 197)

•It is the noblest of our actions and best shows our love for God (GE 106, ST II-II, q. 30, a. 4)

•Mercy is the antidote to today’s destructive culture of hedonism and consumerism, offering us “a different life, a healthier and happy life” (GE 108)

Mercy: What Makes A Saint

Other Obstacles Today

•Too much gadgets•Constant distraction, recreation•Lack of silence•Consumerism•Discontent, emptiness•Gnosticism•Pelagianism

How to be a Saint?

•“If you are unable to suffer and offer up a few humiliations, you are not humble and you are not on the path to holiness.” (GE 118)

•“Here I am not speaking only about stark situations of martyrdom, but about the daily humiliations of those who keep silent to save their families, who prefer to praise others rather than boast about themselves, or who choose the less welcome tasks, at times even choosing to bear an injustice so as to offer it to the Lord.” (GE 119)

Solid grounding in the God who loves and sustains us

(Perseverance, patience and meekness… HUMILITY)

•“Whatever the case, we should remain resilient and imitate Saint Paul: ‘I have learned to be content with what I have’ (Phil 4:11).” (GE, 127)

•“This is not the joy held out by today’s individualistic and consumerist culture. Consumerism only bloats the heart. It can offer occasional and passing pleasures, but not joy. Here I am speaking of a joy lived in communion, which shares and is shared, since ‘there is more happiness in giving than in receiving’ (Acts 20:35) and ‘God loves a cheerful giver’ (2 Cor 9:7).” (GE, 128)

Joy and a sense of humor

Boldness and passion

•“God is eternal newness. He impels us constantly to set out anew, to pass beyond what is familiar, to the fringes and beyond.” (GE 135)

•”Complacency is seductive; it tells us that there is no point in trying to change things, that there is nothing we can do, because this is the way things have always been and yet we always manage to survive. By force of habit, we no longer stand up to evil. We ‘let things be,’ or as others have decided they ought to be. Yet let us allow the Lord to rouse us from our torpor, to free us from our inertia.” (GE 137)

In community

•“When we live apart from others, it is very difficult to fight against concupiscence, the snares and temptations of the devil and the selfishness of the world…” (GE 140)

•“The common life, whether in the family, the parish, the religious community or any other, is made up of small everyday things. This was true of the holy community formed by Jesus, Mary and Joseph, which reflected in an exemplary way the beauty of the Trinitarian communion.” (GE 143)

In constant prayer

•“I do not believe in holiness without prayer, even though that prayer need not be lengthy or involve intense emotions.” (GE 147)

•“We need to remember that ‘contemplation of the face of Jesus, died and risen, restores our humanity, even when it has been broken by the troubles of this life or marred by sin. We must not domesticate the power of the face of Christ’. So let me ask you: Are there moments when you place yourself quietly in the Lord’s presence, when you calmly spend time with him, when you bask in his gaze? Do you let his fire inflame your heart?” (GE 151)

Spiritual Combat, Vigilance and Discernment

•“The Christian life is a constant battle. We need strength and courage to withstand the temptations of the devil and to proclaim the Gospel” (GE, 158). Nevertheless, he assures us that “this battle is sweet, for it allows us to rejoice each time the Lord triumphs in our lives” (GE, 158).

•this battle occurs not just with the world or with ourselves but with the evil one, whose active presence we cannot simply ignore or trivialize (GE, 160).

•Ignoring or trivializing the evil one “would lead us to let down our guard, to grow careless and end up more vulnerable” (GE, 161).