TH221 E Celebrating God's Presence As A Christian Community

Theology 3: Celebrating Christ’s Presence as a Christian Community [1]
Topic 8: The Church as Sacrament of God’s Love; the Sacrament of

Marriage as celebration of God’s love
TH221 E Celebrating God’s Presence Name: ________________________ Class Time:

______________Date: ______________
As A Christian Community
A. Personal Reflections:
Student’s Copy
1. Do you intend or plan to get married in the
future? Yes or no. If yes, please tell why. If no,
Topic 8:
please tell why not.
The Church as Sacrament of God’s Love; __________________________________________
the Sacrament of Marriage as celebration __________________________________________
of God’s love __________________________________________
__________________________________________
3319 __________________________________________
__________________________________________
Objective: At the end of this session the students will be
__________________________________________
able to design their own “vow of commitment”, to a
__________________________________________
friend or potential life-long partner, together with their
_______________________________________.
own unique and personal symbols expressing love,
2. What do you think should be the primary
friendship, loyalty, fidelity, and commitment.
reason for or purpose of marriage? Are you
aware of other reasons besides this that makes
people enter into marriage?
Let us “SEE” __________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Property of the Institute of Religious Education
Unauthorized reproduction and selling is not allowed.
First Semester 2014-2015.
__________________________________________ Let us “DISCERN”

_______________________________________.
3. Can you give your personal suggestion on how (Review of Past Lessons: The teacher may
to prepare for a successful marriage?
simply ask the class to read it silently.)
__________________________________________
__________________________________________ In the previous two topics, we discussed and
__________________________________________ emphasized that the Church is a wounded healer and
__________________________________________ also that the Church is meant to be God’s comforter and
__________________________________________ consoler in the world today. Although wounded, the
__________________________________________ Church is nevertheless called and challenge by Christ to
__________________________________________ be a healer. The Church, made up of people who are also
__________________________________________ broken and alienated, are called and challenge by Christ
_______________________________________. to effect reconciliation and to be a comforter and consoler
to others and to the world through the power of Christ
Group Sharing: on Personal Reflection
and his Spirit.
We saw that God is interested in healing the whole

Class Plenum: person; and reconciliation is present whenever and
wherever Sin and Evil is overcome. The Sacrament of
Reconciliation celebrates reconciliation with self, others
Synthesis: (by the teacher) and God; and the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick
is a celebration of healing; both done through the power
of Christ’s love, care and concern. Christian life and
ministry is a call and challenge to love and to serve. It is
a call and challenge to action and commitment of love,
care and concern for others, especially the poor, the
needy, and the sick.
We saw how healing and reconciliation goes concretely in various ways of discipleship. A Christian’s
together; and how healing and reconciliation are but two particular way of living out one’s Christian Mission or
dimensions of Christ call, challenge, and mission. Ministry is called a vocation or a state of life. One can be
Healing and reconciliation are the continuation of Jesus’ called to Single Life, Religious Life, Marriage and Holy
life and ministry in the Church. Healing was understood Orders. Only two of this vocational choices or states of
as the mission of “making humans whole again or life are numbered among the sacraments of the church:
helping restore them to their true humanity” through Marriage and Holy Orders. The reasons are more
the power of Christ’s love, care and concern. historical and cultural rather than theological. We must
Reconciliation is the “overcoming of Sin” which is the remember, however that whatever state of life or
greatest barrier or obstacle to healing. Sin is basically vocation one is called to, all vocations or states of life are
“missing the mark” or failing in the challenge to live a of equal dignity and importance. All of these are paths
life truly and fully human. to Christian discipleship.
Sin is a failure to do or to be what one ought to do The Second Vatican Council emphasized that “the
or to be as a truly and fully human person. To be in sin basic Christian vocation is the universal call to love and
is to live a lie. Such lie affects our relationship with our to holiness,” and holiness means the call to become more
self, others and God. It causes alienation and brokenness. and more fully human. Marriage will be discussed in this
The challenge is to have conversion (metanoia), a topic while Holy orders will be treated in a more detailed
complete “turn-around” or “going back” or “going way in the next topic.
home” to ones true status and person before self, others
(E N D OF R E V I E W)
and God. Such action/conversion demands the
continuous nurturance through practice, of the virtues
(Discern Proper)
of humility, meekness and gentleness. The same virtues
are also emphasized by St. Vincent de Paul. 1. THE CHURCH-COMMUNITY
The Christian mission or ministry to love God and REMEMBERS: Each one of us is truly and
one’s neighbour, to heal and to reconcile, is lived out uniquely loved by God

Each of us is uniquely known and loved by God. tells us how great this love is. The Lord has been
In the Book of Isaiah we read the following: (Is 49:15- preparing us for some time. He walks with us,
16.) preparing others. He is always with us!”
“Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness

for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I
Note to Teacher: At this juncture you can also
will never forget you. See, upon the palm of my
invite the class to listen and reflect on the song:
hands I have carved your name...”
“Hindi Kita Malilimutan” by Basil Valdez or by
In the same book of Isaiah, Chapter 43:1, we find Bukas Palad Singers, or you may download it
Yahweh speaking to his people: from Simple Mp 3 or from Youtube.
“But now, thus says the Lord, who created you o Jacob
and, formed you, O Israel: I have called you by your
2. THE CHURCH-COMMUNITY BELIEVES:
name; you are mine.”
Each one of us is called by God to be like
In his homily during the daily morning mass in Casa him in love.
Santa Maria (01-13-2014) Pope Francis talked about the
unique love of God for each one of us when he said that God created man and woman in love to share God’s
divine life and love. The Catechism of the Catholic
“The Lord awaits us in history and lovingly Church (Art. 1694) quoting Romans 6:11,6:5, and
accompanies us in history...God loves us forever and Colossians 2:12 states that “incorporated into Christ by
never forsake us...Because our rationalism says: ‘How is
baptism, Christians... can strive to be imitators of God...
it that the Lord, who has so many people to think about
and walk in love, by conforming their thought, words
should think of me? However, he has really prepared
and actions to the mind of God which is yours in Christ
the way for me. With our mothers, our grandmothers,
Jesus, and by following his example.”
our fathers, our grandparents and great-
grandparents...That’s what the Lord does. This is his Jesus identifies the greatest commandment as “to
Love: real, eternal, and also customized. This also love God and to love one’s neighbour as one’s self.”
(Mt22:38). Jesus identifies this as the fulfilment of the law 3. THE CHURCH COMMUNITY
and the prophets. Every human person is a creature of CELEBRATES: the love of husband and
love and is called to live a life of love of God and
wife (conjugal love) mirrors the love of God
neighbour.
in its highest form
In the first letter of John we read the following: (1Jn
In a way we can say that marriage is the first
4:7-12)
sacrament or the basic sacrament of God’s life and love.
“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of Sacraments are meant to be special avenues of insight
God; everyone who love is begotten by God and knows into the reality of God; they are meant to be “words” of
God. Whoever is without love does not know God for God’s self-revelation. The reality of human love and
God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed friendship touches the most basic level of this revelation.
to us: God sent his only son into the world so that we In the words of John (1Jn 4:16): “God is love, and he/she
might have life through him. In this is love: not that we who abides in love abides in God. And God lives in
have loved God, but that he love us first and sent his him/her.”
son as expiation for sins. Beloved if God so loved us, we
also must love one another.” What happens when these love and friendship
appears to be absent or seem to be lacking in one’s life
or experience? I remember a particular experience I had
in one of my theology class concerning a particular
John makes it clear that God does not love us because we
student. The student does not pay attention in class, even
love him first. On the contrary we are able to love God
disrupts the class once in a while. I also noticed that
and our neighbour because God loves us first. Such love
whenever we talk about God and God’s love especially
of God for us is seen in his act of creating us and also in
when we emphasized that God loves us for what we are
his act of salvation. Our act of love for God and our
and no matter what (“Mahal ka ng Diyos maging sino ka
love for our neighbour is our response to a God who
loves us first. man at maging ano ka man.”) there was always a very clear
expression of pain, sadness and disgust on his face.
When I talked to the student later on outside the class
this is what he confided to me. He told me that whenever “Where is this God that you say loves me and cares for
I discussed God and the reality of how much God love me...? Where are my parents? How come I have no friends?”
us, he always felt so much pain and sadness in his heart, Such anguish and pain makes us see the value of other
and even a form of rebellion. He cannot help but think at people in our experience of love and loving. It makes us
the back of his mind: see the value of the experience of the love and loving that
comes from fellow human beings. We see the value of
“How can you say that God loves me and cares
other people’s love or their refusal to love us.
for me while my whole life is full of s_ _ t! My
parents separated while I was a small child. A All human life starts with the family. Every human
relative took me in but I never felt any love from being is supposed to be the result of the love that exists
them. Now I live alone in a boarding house. I am a between the father and mother or the husband and wife.
working student. My parents never even bother to That is why children are called “offspring”. It is in the
visit or call me. Both of them have their own family that a person first experience love, or the lack of
family now. I never felt their love. I feel nobody it, in their lives. Here we see the value and importance
cares for me. I have no real friends, not unless you of marriage as the basic or first sacrament of God’s love
can call “gimmick-buddies” as real friends. The and life. Marriage as conjugal love has always been
girl-friends I have had in the past always leave considered as a paradigm of human relationship and
me. They cannot understand me. I cannot blame love, and the ground of human community.
them. I also find it hard to understand myself.
Even in school some professors are picking on me The imagery of husband and wife was the basic way
and don’t understand me. Where is this God that the prophets depicted the relationship between Yahweh
you say loves me and cares for me for what I am and the people of Israel; although sadly more often than
and no matter what? I never saw this God in my not it is used in the negative: Yahweh is the faithful one
life and never felt his presence?” while Israel is the unfaithful spouse. Christianity infused
another dimension of meaning into the relationship
between the husband and wife: a sign of the love that
exists between Christ and his church; a covenant

between God and his people wherein covenantal love, dynamic power; it seeks to go out of itself and share to
friendship, fidelity, loyalty, commitment, self-giving are others. Marriage is “recognized as a lifelong process
naturally expected. through which a couple grows in holiness both in their
life together and in raising children.”The family is “a
Marriage is a covenant of love between the wife and
little church, a community of love, a covenant of
husband that expresses the love of Christ for his church
irrevocable personal consent.”
or the love of God for us. Such covenant of love is an
open-ended contract that demands 100% effort by both In bringing their love to public ritual expression in
parties. It is not a 50-50, but a 100-100 proportion. Just as the sacramental celebration, the couple welcomes Christ
God always remain faithful to his people or Christ in their common life, the ups and downs, the good
always remain people to his Church, the husband and times and bad, the daily routine. Trusting that Christ
wife are called to be faithful to each other for life in will stay with them and help them remain faithful to one
marriage. Perhaps one of the most difficult things to another, they attempt to give visible expression to
believe over the course of a lifetime is that we are God’s steadfast love over a whole lifetime. Marriage is a
important enough to be loved by God, and to be loved sacrament of the power of transforming love that comes
unconditionally. The love between the husband and wife from God. The couple themselves are the actual
makes credible such unconditional love of God by the sacrament of marriage. The real ministers of the
discovery that each one is important to and also loved sacrament of marriage is the bride and groom in their
by each other unconditionally. mutual promise to love one another, to live their life in
love, to love their children and cherish them, and to be
The sacrament of Christian marriage is the husband
faithful to each other for life. Every time they remain
and wife in their unfolding relationship to each other
faithful and love each other this way, Jesus becomes
as Christians; they are sacrament for each other,
present in their midst and the spirit dwells in their
sacrament to their children, and sacrament to all those
hearts. Such life and love of God is mirrored in every
who come to know them. As a covenant of love marriage
form of love and friendship; but in its highest form is
by its very nature is creative; it is open to the procreation
conjugal love: the love of husband and wife.
and education of children. Love by its very nature is a

It is so easy at times to be tempted to wish that Jesus

4. THE CHURCH-COMMUNITY once again will walk the earth like what he did more
than two thousand years ago; to show love, justice, truth,
LIVES/LOVE: The way of love and
freedom, peace, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, etc.
friendship
“Maybe if Jesus is present with us today our world and life on
The reality of the human person and human life this world will be different”, some people will say. The
especially if it is lived according to the mind of God, good news is that Jesus continues to be present to us
gives us some insights into the way and nature of God. through the Church, through the love that we show to
Human love and friendship gives us a certain “taste” or one another. The Church, the Christians are the
experience of the God who is love. While we can sacrament of God’s love. In the early church Christians
definitely say that God’s love is greater and much more were known and identified as disciples of Jesus through
than what we can really imagined, human love and the love that they give or share to and with one another.
friendship enable us to experience what it means to be The Church is called to love and serve the Lord by loving
love by another person; and ultimately to experience and serving one another. All experience of love and
what it means to be loved by God( de los Santos 1986: being love is sacramental. It can either reveal or fail to
138-142). We can come to know God more and more reveal the reality of a God who is love.
deeply by coming to know what our human life and
All Christians are called to love and serve one
experience is and how it somehow reveal or fail to reveal
another, whether married or not. As we mentioned
the way God loves us. To a limited extent we can assert
earlier the universal call or vocation given to all
that we can come to some true understanding of God
Christians is to seek holiness in love; to love and to be a
and his love by reflecting on our experience of being
friend, as a disciple of Christ. There are different paths
loved by another person. Life is to extend to further life,
to discipleship. Some Christians are called to live
either by creating new humans or by creating new levels
Christian life in the context of a single life, dedicating
of personal life in already existing humans through the
themselves to something for the good of humanity and
process of loving relationships.
for the greater glory of God. Others are called to the
religious life, living in community, living a life that
exemplifies the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity If you are given your way to modify or “change”
and obedience. Others are called to the service of the the pledge or vow of commitment, how will you do it?
church through Holy orders. Whatever be one’s calling or What symbols will you use and what meaning will they
vocation all of them are of equal value and importance. convey? How will you formulate your own personal
All of them are valid and effective ways of reaching pledge or vow of commitment incorporating and
holiness and perfection in love. expressing in your own way the idea of covenantal love,
fidelity, commitment, self-giving and lifelong sharing of
St Vincent de Paul speaks of zeal or burning love.
life and love?
Zeal or burning love is effective love. It is the active care
and concern for the other. It involves the willingness to
labor even if it appears to be in vain. It is to love life
without end, to be committed through and through -------------------------------------------------------------------------
bringing life and others to the fullness of life who is
God. “Let us love God my bothers. But let it be through
the strength of our arms and the sweat of our Name: __________________________Class Time:
brow.”(SVP) _________________Date: ___________
A. The symbols or actions I will use and the meaning

symbolised: (in lieu of the ring, veil, cord, candles
Let us “ACT/PRAY” and arrhae)
1.___________________________________________
Secure a copy of the celebration or Rite of the
_____________________________________________
Sacrament of Marriage (outside of the Mass or Eucharist)
_____________________________________________
from the library or your parish church or from the
2.___________________________________________
campus ministry office. Study and reflect on the ritual
_____________________________________________
and focus on the different symbols used and on the
_____________________________________________
traditional “pledge or vow of commitment”.
3.___________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
4.___________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
5.___________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
6.___________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________
____________________________________________ .
B. My “personalised “vow or pledge of commitment” in

Prepared for IRED by:
prayer form: (maximum of 10 sentences)
GABRIEL M. DE LOS SANTOS
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________


TH221 E Celebrating God's Presence As A Christian Community

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TH221 E Celebrating God's Presence As A Christian Community

Uploaded by

Theology 3: Celebrating Christ’s Presence as a Christian Community [1]

Topic 8: The Church as Sacrament of God’s Love; the Sacrament of

TH221 E Celebrating God’s Presence Name: ________________________ Class Time:

__________________________________________ Let us “DISCERN”

We saw that God is interested in healing the whole

Property of the Institute of Religious Education

“Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness

Property of the Institute of Religious Education

Property of the Institute of Religious Education

It is so easy at times to be tempted to wish that Jesus

A. The symbols or actions I will use and the meaning

B. My “personalised “vow or pledge of commitment” in

Property of the Institute of Religious Education

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