CAN WE REALLY COMMIT CHRISTIANITY INTO PRACTICE? By Mr. Jan Paul S.

Lugtu I will attempt to answer this question by explaining the relevance of Christian teaching and praxis to day to day living, as how Christians must live their lives in society. Let me paraphrase quotes from Scripture, from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5:13 & 14, You are salt of humankind.light for the world. This Scripture text echoes the mission and identity of the followers of Christ which remains perennially valid, regardless of context, and irrespective of cultures. The way the Gospel message is proclaimed may change, but the Good News that was proclaimed two thousand years ago is the same Good News that we still proclaim, and we will always proclaim this message of the Good News until the time of the definitive fulfillment of the Reign of God. There are those who argue that the great mistake or disservice that was done to the person of Jesus of Nazareth was to make him the object of faith, rather than see him as he really was a teacher of wisdom that leads the way to salvation or God Himself. These critics maintained that Christianity as a religion was created as an offshoot of what was originally intended to be a reform movement within Judaism that later on entered Greco-Roman culture and in embracing its language and thought patterns, turned this Way into a religion that competed strongly against the existing pagan religious practices of that milieu. Thousand years of consolidation of dogmas, as well as development of cultic and moral practices aligned with orthodoxy, has made Christianity into a complex system of creed, cult and code. This Christianity, aided by theological reflection, was perceived by many critics, as even a stumbling block to encountering God in the person of the real Jesus. Thus, Christianity is perceived as a religion in a derogatory manner. I object to the impression that others have insofar as Christianity in general and the Roman Catholic faith in particular, is concerned. First, religion is understood as a bond between people and God, and this bond is expressed as intimate relationship in terms of beliefs, religious practices and way of living. This relationship is further articulated to make it more intelligible, and is communicated to deepen the communion of believers, and to further communicate its message to those who desire to be part of the faith community. Religion is not slavery or superstition. Second, the shift from a Jewish reform movement into a religion which is now Christianity was never a drastic and accidental process of diluting the pure message of the wine of the Good News. This can be explained if we will clarify the meaning of Revelation, the role Jesus had in the story of God self-communication and how this process takes place today in Scriptures and in the Church. Third, theology is seen as a tool for deepening the knowledge of what one believes, a way to clarify on how as a community, we ought to live our lives in the light of the values of the Reign of God, and as further guide for deepening our spirituality. Christianity is understood from the matrix of Divine Revelation as seen in the light of Judaeo-Christian Tradition. It is Gods self-communication; a process wherein God self-communicates His loving plan of liberation and redemption to humanity through various signs and wonders at various moments in history, and men and women respond in faith by fully cooperating in renewing the world as restoring its integral beauty, working for a more just and more humane society, and reconciling all things to its Creator and Savior, the reign of God is a work that has already begun, but its fulfillment

is a moment of sheer grace and is purely Gods initiative. This process of Gods selfcommunication in history is realized in Jesus. His offer of integral and definitive salvation has been realized in the person of Jesus Christ, Gods only begotten Son who entered our human history, so that we may encounter Gods compassion in human form. Jesus passion for the reign of God is reflected in His life and ministry, in his teaching, healing and acts of forgiveness, and his table fellowships that welcomes everyone to partake of the joys of the banquet of Gods family. For this he was arrested for charges of subversion, was tortured and executed in the most brutal and shameful manner, his death thought to be a failure of his life and mission. But God raised him and vindicated his life and ministry, the various experiences of his disciples encounters with the risen Lord they interpreted as the Easter experience, and becomes a kerygmatic proclamation of the early community who continues to experience Jesus alive in their midst. The life and mission of Jesus is continued by the Church, a community of Gods people on a pilgrim journey to the Father. As a community in pilgrimage, the Church always finds herself challenged by the upheavals and changes at all times, and because she has to respond to those challenges, she has made small mistakes and big blunders, and yet, always finding herself a way to repentance, conversion and renewal. The Church is not the Reign of God, but is one of the signs that point out to Gods reign, and the Church tries to be faithful, if not successful, in its life and mission. The Church then offers hope and refuge through the wellsprings of wisdom and life coming from the loving graciousness and compassion of God who desires to enjoy companionship with us. Thus, Christianity is linked to the Jewish tradition of Gods revelation; its growth and development has never been, is not, and will not be a distortion or break with the JudaeoChristian tradition. Christian discipleship is Christian praxis lived in community. It requires personal and communal accountability guided by moral principles that are supposed to guide in arriving at good moral decisions, not dictate pointblank ones actions, and whose actions are guided by Gods revelation, and still, there is still room left for human freedom to flourish. Christianity as a way of life is not about merely observance of private morality nor should it be reduced to moralism. It is lived in and within the Church. Christianity or rather, Christians faith commitment will be purified and tested under the crucible of dealing with what confronts contemporary society the lights and shadows, the joys and sorrows, the opportunities as well as the threats that we must deal with. As a Church, we must be THEOLOGIANS a community that articulates and communicates Gods message in a PROPHETIC way so that we may reach out to those who need help the most. And yet, as prophets, we who make up the Church must learn to listen to the cry of the people, as God at times communicates Himself through the least of our brethren.