The Fall From Glory

8/4/2019 The Fall From Glory

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The Fall from Glory


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God is infinitely good, and all His works are

good. Yet our daily experience manifests so

much in us that is not good- our sinfulness.

Sinful social structures- habitual patterns of

human interaction are infected by sin

A whole network that oppresses & enslaves:

the structures of violence and brutality,

prostitution and adultery, poverty & injustice

(some of the devastating consequences oforiginalsin)

Genesis narrative- origin of the situation of

sinfulness


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Although set by God in a state of rectitude,

the first humans, enticed by the Evil One,

abused their freedom at the very start of

history. They lifted themselves against God,

and sought to attain their goal apart from

Him. Although they had known God, they did

not glorify Him as God, but their senseless

hearts were darkened, and they served thecreature rather than the Creator.


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Usually we Filipinos are ever ready to excuse ourown faults and others faults: Sapagkat tayoy taolamang

- makes light of the real personal harm caused bysins to persons, families and whole communities

misfortunes- punishment from God for our sins(tadhana), test from God (pagsubok)

Giving more importance to the feeling of shame(hiya) of losing face before others than the moralevil of sin

- sorry!: used so frequently in common speech

to mean something like pasensya that it nolonger expresses any genuine sorrow or contrition,with firm intention of changing ones ways


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Intense concern we normally feel for family,

friends and relatives- kamag-anak coupled with

complete unconcern for others.

Bayanihan spirit ningas kugon


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The most fundamental aspect of the Churchsdoctrine of original sin is not so much universalsinfulness as universal salvation.

St. Paul: Christ died for our sins in accordancewith the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:3). The GoodNews is not about original sin but of Godsredeeming love through Jesus Christ in the Holy

Spirit The Vigil of Easter:

Father, how wonderful your care for us!

How boundless your merciful love

To ransom a slave you gave away your Son.

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,

Which gained for us so great a Redeemer


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Scripture on our Human FallA. Genesis

- presents the story of the Fall of our humanrace within Gods plan of creation andredemption

- describes how, at the origin of our race, man &woman turned away from God their Creator indisobedience and pride, thus rejecting Godsfriendship

They wanted to be likeGod, but without God,ahead of God, & not according to God

the serpent- an evil force called Satan or thedevil


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In rebelling against God, man & womandestroyed their original harmony with:

- each other (they realized theyrenaked)- others (Cains murder of his brother Abel)

- the community (Tower of Babel)

- nature (cursed be the ground) death will be theirs, For you are dirt, & to dirt

you shall return (Gn 3:19)

The Genesis narrative presents 3 moments:

1. temptation

2. sin

3. judgment


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original man & woman- are the source of moral

evil

This alone can explain the universality of evil in

our race, & the moral evil which we experience in

our world today. Yet the final biblical word is not

that human beings are evil but that God isSavior.

B. St. Paul

All have sinned & are deprived of the glory ofGod (Rom 3:23), but is equally insistent that

Just as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will come

to life again. (1 Cor 15:22)


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Church Teaching on Original Sin

We Filipinos today, as members of the race of

Adam, do not inherit his personal sin, but rather the

sinful condition started by his originatingsin

kasalanang mana- the state of sinfulness in which

we are all born This universal sinfulness is confirmed by the clear

Gospel proclamation that all are redeemed by

Christ.

Original Sin:

1. sin of the world- social dimension of original sin


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2. heart of darkness within us-

personal interior dimension of

original sin

concupiscence: inclination which

comes from sin & inclines to sin

3. ratification of original sin by ourpersonal sinful thoughts, words

and deeds

seven capital sins- ourconcupiscence manifests itself in

these root source of sins from

which many other sins are born


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Descriptive Definition of Original Sin

- the state in which we are born as members of thehuman race

It is called original since it dates from the originof our human race. This means it is universal: allneed to be redeemed.

It is called sin not because it is a personal sinfulthought, word, or action on our part, but becauseit is a state contrary to Gods will. It is an obstacleto that positive loving relation to Him & Hiswhole creation for which we are created.

inclination to evil & disharmony within ourselves,with others and with all created things: directresult of the refusal to acknowledge God as thecreative source of all & final destiny for every

human person.


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Bible: experience of disharmony- life as adramatic struggle between good & evil, betweenlight & darkness

Only by responding as best we can to the grace ofChrist our Lord, will all our economic, social, andpolitical activities be salvific.

Vatican II: For a monumental struggle against thepowers of darkness pervades our whole humanhistory. The battle was joined from the veryorigins of the world and will continue until the

last day. Caught in this conflict, we are obliged towrestle constantly if we are to cling to what isgood. Nor can we achieve our own integritywithout valiant efforts and the help of grace.


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Finally, we all must face the ultimate test of ourlives: death.

Bodily death as we now experience is due to theFall: Because God did not make death, nor doesHe rejoice in the destruction of the living. For hefashioned all things that they might have being

It was the wicked who with hands & wordsinvited death, & considered it a friend, and pinedfor it, & made a covenant with it, because theydeserve to be in its possession (Wis 1:13-14, 16)

St. Paul brings out clearly the relation of death tosin: Just as through one man sin entered theworld, & with sin death, death thus coming to all

men inasmuch as all sinned (Rom 5:12).


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But he does this to show that as sin reigned through

Death, grace also may reign by way of justice

leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord(Rom 5:21).


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The Fall From Glory

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