Defining and keeping the Christian Faith in the Church

Defining and keeping the Christian Faith in the Church

(A reflection on Porta Fidei)

In the 1500s, the Catholic Church had finally reformed herself after a long struggle of reform. Reforms at the ranks and at below were unsuccessful since there was no universal desire to undergo such change. Reform had been separately dealt by few secular clergy, few temporal rulers, few religious congregations and others. However, in 1545 the Catholic Church had finally settled the struggle of reform after the havoc and distortions that had been caused by the Protestant Reformation. The Ecumenical Council of Trent was primarily a reaction against the controversies and inquiries raised by Martin Luther and his followers. In the first phase of the Council, 1545-1547, one of the issues discussed was the opposition of Luther against the source of faith. For Luther there is only one source that is the Holy Scripture or Sola Scriptura. However, the Church responded to it that there is only one source or deposit of faith. It was revealed to mankind and channeled into two ways, Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Trent did not cater the two-source theory that was being accused of to the Church. This is one of the significance of Trent in the history of the Church by defining finally through a decree. Nevertheless, faith was kept in this matter into two ways, Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

On October 11, 2011 Pope Benedict XVI wrote the Muto Propio, Porta Fidei, by declaring a Year of Faith starting October 11, 2012. He called for a year of faith at the anniversary of the convocation of the Vatican Council II in 1962. He wrote some of his personal reasons on why he declared a year of Faith, “It often happens that Christians are more concerned for the social, cultural and political consequences of their commitment, continuing to think of the faith as a self-evident presupposition for life in society.” (Porta Fidei, 2). He further adds that in reality, this presupposition has been openly denied. At the same time, he had convoked for a Synod of Bishop on that same day on October 11, 2012 to rediscover and reflect faith using the documents of Vatican II as the point of departure in the synod. He gave the theme, “The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith”. Benedict XVI also believes in the same purpose of Paul VI, his venerable predecessor, to declare another Year of Faith in order for all Christians to have the “exact knowledge of the faith, so as to reinvigorate it, purify it, confirm it, and confess it” (Porta Fidei, 4). Nevertheless, in context with the realities of the 21^st century, the Church tries to find ways on how faith should be kept by looking for new evangelization and how Christian faith should be transmitted to people.

            Our faith has been defined already long since the foundation of Christian faith through our Lord, Jesus Christ, but it was later only proclaimed and clarified in Trent. However, knowledge on faith wasn’t enough to make people live a holier and fulfilled Christian life that until now it is still the constant call of the Church. Keeping the faith is nonetheless the need to be addressed in the Synod of Bishops of October 2012 calls for.

            This faith then that we constantly yearn for is “to profess faith in the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is to believe in one God who is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8): the Father, who in the fullness of time sent his Son for our salvation; Jesus Christ, who in the mystery of his death and resurrection redeemed the world; the Holy Spirit, who leads the Church across the centuries as we await the Lord’s glorious return.” (Porta Fidei, 1).

            

Strong and weak points of Trinitarian Universalism

Strong and weak points of Trinitarian Universalism

With the paradigms of the 21^st century, - i.e., contemporary experience of religious pluralism, relentless logic of global system, the threat to the planet, and the new experiences of diversity in the church, - challenged the ecumenical movement to move and use another framework in order to attain mutual relationship with other religions. The momentous effects of these realities must have brought a wider concern for the ecumenical movement to use another framework in promoting unity. Unlike the preceding goal, which is unity among churches by having a unified faith and doctrines, is likely an ineffective way to foster a communio based from the 21^st century paradigms. It is an obsolete framework. These are the unforeseen phenomena that are shaping humanity and the world of contemporary times that needs a proper framework for it in order to answer this concern.

"Go forth and blog:" a reflection on Media Evangelization

“Go forth and blog”

“Go forth and blog”, this is the highlight of the encouraging message of Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of the 44^th World Communications Day in May of 2010 to all Christians but a special calling is addressed to the priests. Unlike the conventional phrase we here from the Sacred Scriptures that commands men and women to “go forth and multiply” it is now fondly called as “go forth and blog”. Pope Benedict XVI challenges priests “to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources (images, videos, animated feature, blogs, websites) which alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue, evangelization and catechesis¹”.

As Pope Benedict XVI identifies our world today as a world of digital communication, we carry the task also to be responsible and take a leap to be in communion with the world. With the aid of new technologies, people create deeper relationships despite distant places. It is connecting people from various races, countries, families and relatives and at the same time creating a new form of friendship amidst differences.

By means of these new technologies, we partake in the mission of the Church to go beyond traditional means in proclaiming our faith to Christ. These will help us in our mission to let the men and women “sense the Lord’s presence, to grow in expectation and hope, and to draw near to the Word of God which offers salvation and fosters an integral human development.”²

This new calling of the Pope created a strong foundation to partake also in this missionary activity of the Church. After I read this message in 2010, I was inspired to create personal accounts in various social websites popular in the Web. To mention some, I have accounts in Youtube, Facebook, Friendster, Formspring, Tumblr, Blogspot, Multiply, Hi5, Deviantart, Yahoomail, Gmail, Twitter, Forums, Netlog, Flickr, Tagged, Yelp and many more. Unfortunately, these numerous accounts are difficult to maintain. May be at least 5 of them I regularly update and maintain. In one of my blogs, blogspot, I post my paper works and reflections. I also post pictures of various seminary activities, nature and infrastructures, which I personally shot. At first my purpose of creating those accounts was not for any spiritual purposes. It was just for personal leisure. But as I grew maturely in my vocation my old purpose was purified into a more noble aim.

Can I be considered as going too much? My answer is Yes and No. There were instances that I went beyond the limits. In this way, I affirm with the Pope’s reminder about the danger of these new technologies. We become attached to it that tend us to forget the real purpose.

Prudence, discipline and discretion are to be our companions so that we may not draw ourselves to it with much attention. Same as to how the Rule of Augustine was rooted in Caritas or “Christian love”, which is to guide us in our search for God in becoming holy.

1 Pope Benedict XVI, “MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI FOR THE 44th WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY”, Sunday, 16 May 2010 (source: http://www.vatican.va)

2 Ibid.