D-REED 111

HANDOUTS
(Prelim)

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LESSON: INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION
GOD REVEALING HIMSELF: When God Meets us: God’s
“Kagandahang-Loob”

-Reflection/Sharing: Why do you feel the need to have more friends, barkada,
ka-tropa?
= Points to be emphasized:
a.) By nature we are social beings.
b.) We want to recognize a person and be recognized.
c.) Same is true with God. God through His ―Kagandahang-Loob‖ took the
initiative to reveal Himself and establish a personal relationship
with us that is: DIVINE REVELATION.

1. The meaning of “revelation”?

A. Etymology:
Comes from the latin verb ―revelare‖ which means ― to unveil,‖
―to disclose‖
B. As such, ―revelare‖ answers four (4) questions that help us understand what
Divine Revelation is all about:
a.) HOW? (it is being done)
b.) WHO? (is doing it)
c.) WHAT? (is being revealed)
d.) WHY (it is being revealed)
C. From these questions we can generally describe Divine Revelation as:
the (a) gradual process by which
(b) God reaches out to us to
(c) reveal Himself and His Will as
(d) to offer His friendship for the fullness of our lives.
D. This description/definition implies that:
1. God can be known only through :
a) a gradual process of encounters and relationships (thus we focus on
the three major ways God reveals himself: Bible (written revelation),
Creation (natural revelation), and Jesus (personal revelation)
b) especially through his words and deeds.
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 2. God communicates / reveals Himself
a) to be known and be recognized; and
b) to know and to recognize.
3. God communicates/ reveals
a. Himself and His will as the norm of our conduct
b. for the fullness of our lives.

2.The lesson challenges/transfoms me to:

1. Recognize God‘s ―Kagandahang-loob‖ in our lives.
2. Respond to God‘s ― Kagandahang Loob‖ by becoming open
and submissive to His will.
3. Challenge to know God, love and serve Him and be united
with Him.
4. Imitate / conform to God‘s offer of His fullness of life and
friendship.

3.My Plan of Action:

Ask students to share his or her experience/s of God‘s ―Kagandahang Loob.‖
Ask them to cite a program of action showing their gratitude to God‘s
―Kagandahang Loob.‖

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LESSON 2: GOD REVEALING HIMSELF THROUGH THE BIBLE

Activity: Test Your Bible Skills

Can you find the names of 25 books of the Bible in this paragraph? This is
a most remarkable puzzle. Someone found it in the seat pocket on a flight from
Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping himself occupied for hours. One man from
Illinois worked on this while fishing in his John boat. Roy Clark studied it while
playing his banjo. Ellain Victs mentioned it in her column once. One woman
judges the job to be so involving. She brews a cup of tea to help calm her
nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot… that‘s a fact.
Some people will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book
names are not necessarily capitalized. The truth is, from answers we get, we are
forced to admit it usually takes as minister or scholar to see some of them at the
worst. Something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have. Those
able to find all of them will hear a great lamentations from those who have to be
shown. One revelation may help. Books like Timothy and Samuel may occur
without their numbers. And punctuation or spaces in the middle are normal. A
chipper attitude will help you compete. Remember, there are 25 books of the
Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph. Goodluck and have fun.

1. The etymological meaning of the word “bible”?

From Greek ―ta biblia‖: the Bible is a collection of different books
Also called ―SCRIPTURE‖ to highlight that the Bible is God‘s
Scripted/written revelation (as compared to Sacred Tradition)

2. The Two Major Divisions of the Bible

 Old Testament and the New Testament

=Testament – means a covenant, an agreement, a promise

The Old Testament contains God‘s covenant with the Chosen People
(Israel). It is a promise of salvation. The New Testament contains the
fulfillment of this promise in Jesus Christ (for all). It is a covenant made by
God through Jesus for humanity.

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3. The Divisions of the Books in the Bible

 46 books comprise the Old Testament

Pentateuch
Historical
Wisdom
Prophetic

 27 books comprise the New Testament

Gospels
Acts of the Apostles
Pauline letters
Other Epistles
Revelation.

4. The Chronology of the Old Testament (by Matt Slick)

The following chronological list is adapted from The Chronological Bible. Its
purpose is to help you develop an overall understanding of the order of the major
people and events of the Bible. The dates are disputed here and there; but overall, they
can give you a reference in time and order.

The Pre-existent Christ John 1

Creation Gen. 1:1
Satan cast out of heaven Isaiah 14:12-17
Six days of creation Gen. 1:3-26
Garden of Eden Gen. 2:8-17 From the Creation
Fall of Adam and Eve Gen. 3:1-7 to the Flood
Expulsion from Eden Gen. 3:21-24
Cain kills Abel Gen. 4
Noah is born Gen. 5:28-29
The Flood Gen. 7:10-24
The Tower of Babel
Gen. 11
Abram (Abraham) is born
Gen. 11:27
Job The Flood
Job 1
Abram becomes Abraham to the Patriarchs
Genesis 17
Birth of Isaac, then Jacob,
Genesis 21-30
then Joseph
The 10 plagues against Exodus 7 - 11 The Exodus to
Egypt Exodus 12 Entering Canaan

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The Hebrews are freed then Exodus 13 - 15 1462 - 1422 B.C.
pursued Exodus 20
Crossing the Red Sea Numbers 14
Receiving the 10
Commandments
Israel wanders in the desert
for 40 years
The conquest and division
of Canaan Joshua 6 - 12
Canaan to the Reign of
Israel becomes a world 1200 - 750 B. C.
King Saul
power Judges 13
1422 - 1065 B. C.
Samson is born 1 Samuel 9
Saul becomes first King
David and Goliath
1 Samuel 17
David becomes King
2 Samuel 5 The Reign of
David with Bathsheba
2 Samuel 11 King David
Absalom's rebellion
2 Samuel 15-18 1025 - 985 B. C.
David prepares temple
1 Chronicles 22
materials
Solomon becomes King
1 Kings 1
Solomon asks God for The Reign of
1 Kings 3
wisdom King Solomon
1 Kings 6
The building of the Temple 985 - 945 B. C.
1 Kings 11
Solomon's downfall
The nation of Israel divided into two: Israel to the north
and Judah to the south. This period was full of kings, The Divided Kingdom
who ruled each realm. Many of the kings were (Israel and Judah)
evil. Other gods were worshiped occasionally. During From Solomon
this time Elijah has his ministry. Hosea preached. Jonah to the Fall of Israel
dealt with Nineveh. Rome was founded. The temple was 945 - 586 B. C.
restored.
Both Israel and Judah fall to foreign powers. Micah
The Fall of Israel
prophesies. Isaiah is martyred. Jeremiah is born. Daniel
to the Fall of Judah
is born. Zephaniah prophesies. Ezekiel is
721 - 586 B. C.
born. Jeremiah preaches.
Ezekiel prophesies as
Jerusalem falls
Ezekiel 33
Nebuchadnezzar's image
Daniel 3 Israel is taken
Daniel's vision of the four
Daniel 7 into Captivity
beasts
Daniel 9 586 - 516 B.C.
Daniel's vision of the 70
Isaiah 13, Jer. 25
weeks
Fall of Babylon to Persians
Dedication of the Temple Ezra 6 The Restoration
Deliverance of the Jews Esther 8 from Captivity

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Ezra prepares to return to Ezra 7 516 -400 B. C.
Jerusalem Nehemiah 2
Building of the wall of Malachi
Jerusalem
Malachi's Prophecies
Greece is the world power
from
Time Between
Rome is the world power 331 - 168 B. C.
the Testaments
from 168 B. C. - 476 A.D.
400 B. C. - 5. A.D.
God does not speak for
about 400 years

The Summary of the Old Testament Story can be classified into Three-
Periods of Fourteen Generations. That’s why the Old Testament Story is divided
into 3 Periods:

2000 BC – 1200 BC From the Time of the Patriarchs to the Age of the Judges
1200 BC - 600 BC From the Period of the Kings to the Fall of Jerusalem
600 BC - 0 BC From the Period of Exile to Roman Rule

The whole periods manifest the descendants of Jesus, (14 generations=number

14 in Greek is perfect) where He came from the perfect clans of the Priest, Prophets
and Kings (the three-fold mission of Christ).

5. The 3 Stages Formation of the Gospels and the Formation of the New
Testament

 Gospels were formed according to three major stages:

1.) 0 BC-30 AD=Event / Life and Mission of Jesus

(Lived Experience of the people of God) – the people personally
experienced God‘s graciousness and love as well as His salvific
action in their lives.

2.) 30 AD-60 AD=Oral Preaching of the Early Christian

Community–
 such first hand experiences of the early people of with God had
been passed on to the next generations through oral tradition.
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  In 51 AD Paul start his Preaching and wrote his LETTERS

3.) 60 AD-70 AD=Writing/Editing of the Gospels

– refers to the actual writing of the Word of God, in order that the
next generations of people may know the story of the first people of
God who experienced His salvific action.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

70 AD-90 AD=Acts of the Apostles were written

-Luke was the author

90 AD-100 AD= Epistles were written

=Revelation was written by John

6. How the BIBLE came and put into writing?

It is written by men
 There are different human authors of the different books of the bible
written over a period of time.
 These authors recorded how they saw and experienced God‘s
dealings with them, personally, and the people, as a community,
how they responded to, remembered and interpreted those
experiences.
 The bible, therefore, arose as the expression and record of the
author‘s experience of God and how they interpreted those
experiences
 Scriptures are, then, never to be separated from the people and the
author‘s life and history (Tradition) which formed/influenced the
context of their writings

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit

 Inspiration by the Holy Spirit means a special charism/gift of the
Bible authors to be able to see God‘s workings in their personal and
the people‘s experiences and write them according to what God
wants to be written.

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  Biblical inspiration touches both the proclaimers/authors of the
books of the Bible and the hearers of God‘s words.

The Old Testament Books and its Divisions

Pentateuch
Historical
Wisdom
Prophetic
The 39 books of the Old Testament were written over a period of
approximately 1,000 years, beginning with Moses (around 1450 B.C.) until the
time when the Jewish people returned to Judah from exile (538-400 B.C.) during
the Persian Empire.

A) The Pentateuch

=Written more than 3,000 years ago

=The word penta-FIVE and teokos-BOOKS means "five vessels,"
"five containers," or "five books.
=Moses –author
=These five books form the theological foundation of the Bible.
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy

B) The Historical Books

=These 12 books record the events of Israel's history, beginning with the book of
Joshua and the nation's entry into the Promised Land until the time of its return
from exile some 1,000 years later.
=we relive incredible stories and meet fascinating leaders, prophets, heroes and
villains.
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
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 1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
C) Wisdom Books
=written from the time of Abraham through the end of the Old Testament
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Songs
D) The Prophetic Books
=address the "classical" period of prophecy—during the later years of the
divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel, throughout the time of exile, and into the
years of Israel's return from exile.
=written from the days of Elijah (874-853 B.C.) until the time of Malachi (400
B.C.).
=consisting Major and Minor Prophets

Major Prophets
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
Daniel
Minor Prophet

Hosea Micah Zephaniah

Joel Jonah Haggai
Amos Nahum Zechariah
Obadiah Habakkuk Malachi
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The New Testament
=the fulfillment and culmination of the Old Testament.
=tells the story of Christ's coming to earth as a man, his life and ministry, his
mission, message, and miracles, his death, burial, and resurrection, and the
promise of his return.

The Books and its Divisions

Gospels
Acts of the Apostles
Pauline Letters
Epistles
Revelation

A) The Gospels
=means good spell ===the gospels)
―the GOODNEWS of SALVATION.
=recount the story of Jesus Christ
= were written between A.D. 55-65 the except John's Gospel, which was
written around A.D. 85-90.

Matthew
Mark
Luke
John

B) The Book of Acts of the Apostles

=written by Luke, provides a detailed, eyewitness account of the birth and
growth of the early church and the spread of the gospel immediately after the
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
=considered a New Testament history book about the early church.

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C) Pauline Letters
= Paul wrote the first 13 of these letters, each addressing a specific situation or
problem.
Romans
1 Corinthians I Thessalonians
2 Corinthians 2 Thessalonians
Galatians 1 Timothy
Ephesians 2 Timothy
Philippians Titus
Colossians Philemon
Hebrews***

D) Epistles
=―epesteme‖- means 8 short letters
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John,
2 John
3 John
Jude

v.) The Book of Revelation

="The Revelation of Jesus Christ" or "The Revelation to John.
=author is John, the son of Zebedee, who also wrote the Gospel of John.
around A.D. 90-100.

Contains:
=symbolism and culmination of end times prophecies..
=The hope-filled message of salvation in Jesus Christ
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=the promise of blessing for his followers
=God's ultimate victory and supreme power are the prevailing themes of the
book.

7. The Seven Deutero-Canonical Books

=7 Deutero-Canonical Books are included in
the Catholic Bible.
=These books were written before the New Testament times using,
not the Hebrew language but the Greek language.

Tobit
Judith
Wisdom
Sirach
Baruch
1 Maccabees
2 Maccabees

8. Marks of the Catholic Bible

1. Deutero-Canonical =inspired by the HOLY SPIRIT
2. Nihil Obstat =nothing obstructs
3. Imprimatur=this may be printed

Note: PROTESTANTS OMITTED THE 7 DEUTERO-CANONICAL

BOOKS THEY CALLED THEM APOCRYPHAL
The word Apoocryphal comes from Ancient Greek ἀπόκρυφα
(apocryphal)=meaning, ―those that were hidden”.

B. The Word of God in the words of Men”: Informing and Transforming

1. The two main purposes of the Bible:
TO INFORM
TO TRANSFORM
2. Significance:
1. SHARE: stories of human experiences of
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 (sin, suffering, holiness, faith, etc…)
2. HELP: understand God and His works
3. GUIDE: how to live and act
4. TEACH: about religion (James 1:27)
5. DESCRIBE: human history as salvation history

2. The lesson challenges/transforms me to discover that:

 God is faithful to His promises; He fulfills His promises.
 Jesus Christ is God‘s promise of salvation.
 God‘s salvation is for all.
 This story of salvation takes place in the context of human
history, over a period of time as recorded and may be read in
the Holy Bible.
 Recognize that the Holy Bible is the Written expression of the
author‘s experience of God in their lives.
 See how the Holy Spirit moves and continues to work in me through
my daily experiences in life.
 Ask for inspiration by the Holy Spirit as chrism/discerning quality
which helps us to realize and be aware of God‘s movements in
ones life.
 Attempt to write down ones own experiences of God‘s movements
in ones life.

3. My Plan of Action.

ACTIVITY IN D-REED 111

(Prelim)
NAME DATE
CSE/YR/SEC

Mt. 5:21-22 Mt. 6:1-2

Mt. 5:23-24 Mt. 6:14-15
Mt. 5:27-28 Mt. 6:19-20
Mt. 5:38-30 Mt. 7:1-3
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 Mt. 5.:43-44 Mt. 7:21-23

Text: Mt. 5:21-22

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________

1.) The passage INFORMS me that…

1.1)_________________________
1.2)_________________________

2.) The passage TRANSFORM/CHALLENGES me to …

2.1)_________________________
2.2)_________________________

C. The Bible in the Life of St. John Baptist de La Salle

1. Favorite readings of St. John Baptist De La Salle that greatly influenced his life:
1) Reading and Meditating on the Lives of the Saints
2) Reading and Meditating on God‘s Word in the Bible (lectio divina)
2. Meditation on God‘s Word in the Bible (The significant influence of the Word of God in the
life of St. John Baptist De La Salle

An article (https://www.smp.org/resourcecenter/resource/2889/)
The Feast Day of John Baptist de la Salle is April 7th. John Baptist de la Salle knew
the importance of meditating on God's word in Scripture. This article outlines the practice of
lectio divina, a meditative studying of Scripture.

The Context During His Time

-In reaction to Martin Luther's emphasis on personal reading of the Bible, the Council of
Trent discouraged laypeople from meditating on the word of God.
-Catholics were told to listen to the preaching of their priests, who would explain the Bible to
them.

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-The Catholic Church placed stress on the role of tradition in informing the faithful as to the
meaning of the sacred texts.
-Thus, John Baptist De La Salle's exhortation to his Brothers to study the Gospels daily and
to carry a copy with them at all times stood out as unusual in his era.

De La Salle’s love in Reading and Reflecting on God’s Word

-De La Salle's knowledge of Scripture was profound. Passages from the Bible filled all of his
meditations and other writings.
-He knew that by meditating on the word of God, people encounter Jesus Christ. Upon
encountering Jesus, they will believe. In believing and in deepening this belief, they will be
so filled with faith that they will spread the Good News effectively and live full lives.

The Practice of Lectio-Divina

A meditative studying of the Bible--lectio divina--is an ancient form of prayer for Christians.

One way of doing lectio divina is this:

1. Pick a short passage from a story or chapter in the Bible that strikes a chord with you.
2. Read the passage slowly, relishing each word. Let God's Spirit speak to you through the
words of the Scriptures you are reading.
3. Ponder the passage, letting your mind wander over what you have read. A main idea will
probably emerge, some notion that stands out because it relates to your life experience.
Spend time thinking about these words; sometimes just repeating them over and over helps.
4. Respond to the passage by talking to Jesus. Let the Spirit lead you. Express all your
feelings and thoughts. (Many people like to write their responses or dialogues with Jesus in
their journals.)
5. End the meditation with a concluding prayer.

If you are going to make the Gospels the first and principal rule of your life, you need to
spend regular time with God's word. Is there some practical way in which you can spend
time every day reading the Good News?
(This article is adapted from Praying with John Baptist de la Salle, by Carl Koch [Winona, MN: Saint Mary's Press,
1990], pages 33-35. Copyright © 1990 by Saint Mary's Press. Permission is granted for this article to be used
for classroom or campus ministry purposes. This article may not be republished in any form without written
permission from Saint Mary's Press.)

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LESSON 3: GOD REVEALING HIMSELF THROUGH CREATION

Activity:
A. Do you know of a (Philippine) story that explains the origin of the
world/humanity?
• God as a clay molder or baker: God as the creator
B. What are some of the causes of the calamities (flush flood,
land slide) that have struck some parts of the country?
 Abuse and misuse of the things of our world

1. Reading and Reflecting Bible Stories

A. God’s Universal Revelation and Call to Stewardship of Creation

Read: Wisdom 13:1-9
A.1 Questions for Reflections
1. What kind of people the passage describes?
2. How does the passage describe God?
3. What does the passage say about creation
A.2 The passage informs me about:
1. people who are ignorant of God and are nature worshippers

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2. God as the original artisan/creator of the greatness and beauty of the
universe
3. creation as a natural and universal sign/revelation of God
(happening at all times, at all places, for all peoples)
A.3 The passage transforms/challenges me to…
1. gain more knowledge about God and firmly believe in God‘s existence
2. acknowledge and consider the things of this world (and the world itself)
as creatures revealing God as the creator: Source, Foundation and
Goal of creation

B. God’s Kagandahang-Loob
Read: Genesis 1:1-31
B.1 Questions for reflections:
1. How did God create the whole world?
2. What responsibilities God gave to Adam and Eve (humanity)?
= DOMINION over the fish, birds, all living things
= be FERTILE, MULTIPLY and FILL the earth
= take FOOD in plants, trees, fruits, animals, birds, crawling
creatures, etc…
3. What was God‘s evaluation about all the things he had created?
= very GOOD
B.2 The passage informs me about:
1. my responsibilities to God‘s creation as its responsible steward
2. God‘s love for humanity: he gave the world‘s ―goods or resources‖ for
the sustenance of human existence
3.God‘s invitation for me to become his instrument to bring up and defend
human life
4.creation‘s basic goodness

B.3 The story transforms/challenges me to…

1. safeguard and care for God‘s creation
2. uphold and promote equal/fair opportunity of all in enjoying the
―goods/wealth‖ of the earth
3. uphold and promote the right to life
4. use the world‘s natural resources for the benefit of the majority
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C. God’s Image and Likeness
Read: Gen. 1:26-27
C.1 Questions for reflections:
1. How did God create the human being differently from other creatures?
= in His image/likeness
2. What unique identity God had given to the first human beings?
= male and female
C.2 The passage informs me about …
1. human beings created uniquely in the Creator‘s divine
image/likeness;
2. the human being‘s gender which is either male or female
3. the human identity as God‘s image as the fundamental ground of
human dignity and basic equality of all men and women;
C.3 The passage challenges me to:
1. Imitate/conform to God‘s identity as Love/Kagandahang-loob;
2. recognize God‘s indelible imprint or image in each person;
3. treat everyone with respect and honor (a brother or a sister)
4. promote and protect everyone‘s human dignity and equality;

D. God’s Will and Human Freedom

READ: Genesis 2:15-16
D.1. Questions for reflection
1. Where did God put man after God had created him?
= Garden of Eden/Paradise: the place of TOTAL WELL-BEING
2. What did God give to the man?
= eat anything, except the forbidden fruit: RESPONSIBLE
(LIMITED) FREEDOM

READ: Genesis 3:1-19

D.2. Questions for reflection
1. Who had influenced Adam-Eve to eat the forbidden fruit?
= SERPENT: convinced them that God is lying
2. How did the serpent convince them to eat the forbidden fruit?
= TEMPTATION: to become like God, know what is good and bad
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 5. Where were they when God searched for them?
= HIDING: afraid because they were NAKED (symbol of
shame/guilt before God)
6. What did they do when God asked them if they had eaten the
forbidden fruit?
= BLAMING: pointing the guilt to someone else
7. What did God do to them because of their disobedience?
= EXPELLED out of paradise (symbol of separation from God as
a result of sin)
8. What God had said to the serpent and the woman?
= ENMITY: woman‘s child crushing the head of the serpent‘s
offspring

D.3 The passage informs me about:

1. the original situation God intended for us is ―total well-being‖
(kaginhawahan)
2. freedom as God‘s gift to me: not a license to do anything I
want but a responsibility to do what is good by following
God‘s will
3. the prohibition symbolizes God‘s will as the ‗standard of
morality‖
4. temptation as an invitation to go against God (SIN)
5. pride as the root of sin: the inner drive to become the
master/god of one‘s life
6. real/authentic guilt as shame before God than before others
7. blaming over sincere acceptance of one‘s shortcomings is a
common attitude to sin
8. separation from God is the ultimate consequence of sin
9. God‘s promise of salvation through a savior/redeemer

2. The message transforms/challenges me to …

1. promote people‘s well-being in all situation
2. follow and conform to God‘s will in every decision-making
3. attentive to temptations that come in appealing package
4. check every decision not to be based on selfish interests
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 (PRIDE)
5. accept humbly one‘s mistakes/shortcomings
6. accept Jesus as the promised savior

E. God’s Intervention in History: From Slavery to freedom

READ: Exodus 3: 1-19
E.1. Questions for reflection
1. What was the unusual INCIDENT Moses
encountered in the mountain?
= Burning Bush: God calling him from within
2. What was the MESSAGE of God to Moses?
= God have SEEN the MISERY of his people in
Egypt
= God have HEARD their CRY
= God is CONCERNED about their SUFFERING
= God has COME to RESCUE them
= God will bring them OUT of the land of
SLAVERY to a land of PROSPERITY
3. What was the TASK that God gave to
Moses?
= Go to Egypt and lead the Hebrews (means
slaves) to freedom

READ: Leviticus 18:1-5

E.2 Questions for reflection
4. What God had commanded the Israelites to
OBSERVE?
= A. Not to follow the ways/customs of the
Egyptians where they came and the
ways/customs of the Canaanites where
they are going
= B. Carryout God‘s decrees and statutes
(GOD‘S WILL)
5. What was the promised REWARD to those
who follow God‘s will?
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 = find LIFE!

E.3 The passages inform me about…

1. God is INVOLVED in our personal and societal
lives
2. God is a WITNESS and is CONCERNED with our
sufferings
3. God LISTENS and ANSWERS our prayers
4. Oppressors can not escape God‘s JUSTICE
5. In his own time, God will come to our rescue when
we are in ―trouble‖
6. God is a LIBERATOR, in SOLIDARITY with the
oppressed
7. God will CHOOSE persons to a special task to
achieve his plans for us
8. Our LOYALTY/ALLEGIANCE must be to God
before anyone else
9. Only in God we can find LIFE; with out him, we
have death
The Christian message challenges/transforms me to be …
1. attentive to God‘s presence in my life: both in good
times and bad times
2. trust in God‘s providence and be humble to call him
in times of need
3. a willing instrument to fight/end any form of oppression and
Slavery
4.in solidarity with the suffering people, the oppressed, least
privilege
5.faithful to God before anyone else to have the
fullness of life

F. God’s Call to Holiness: Justice and Righteousness

READ: HOSEA 4:1-3
F.1 Questions for reflection:
1. What are the CRIMES of Israel against God?
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a) no fidelity b) no mercy c) no knowledge of God
d) lying e) murder f) stealing g) adultery
h) lawlessness and bloodshed
2. What is the EFFECT of these crimes?
= mourning / languishing: SUFFERING
The passage informs that:
= SINFULLNESS CAUSES SUFFERING

READ: AMOS 5: 21-24

F.2 Questions for reflection
1. What the Israelites were doing that God HATED/REJECTED?
= a. feast; b. solemnities; c. offerings; d. songs/melodies
= RITUAL-WORSHIP that is EMPTY of its real content
2. What kind of WORSHIP-OFFERING is it that is ACCEPTABLE to
God?
= JUSTICE that surges like water, and RIGHTEOUSNESS that
unfailingly flows like a stream
The Christian message informs me that:
a) Worship is directly connected with our DAILY LIVING
b) Worship of God will be EMPTY/WORTHLESS without LIVING
JUSTLY and RIGHTEOUSLY
c) Our life must be lived as a LIVING OFFERING/SACRIFICE to
God
d) HOLINESS is LIVING LIFE MORALLY UPRIGHT

READ: JOEL 2:13-14

F.3 Questions for reflection:
1. What God is reminding us as to WHO He is?
= a. gracious and merciful;
b. slow to anger;
c. rich in kindness;
d. relenting in punishment
The passage informs me that:
= God is a FORGIVING God, because He is LOVE
2. What God is CHALLENGING us sinners to consider?
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 a) RETURN to Him with WHOLE heart: with fasting, mourning,
weeping
b) REND our HEARTS, not our garments
The Christian message informs me that:
a) God is calling us to be RECONCILED with Him
b) We can return/reconcile ourselves to God only if we have a
CONCRITE HEART: sorrowful over our unfaithfulness/sinfulness

The Christian Message challenges/transforms me to:

1. Confront my sinfulness without excuses and blaming
2. Consider the suffering I brought to people I have done wrong by
Being truly sorry and ready to make reparation
3.Respond positively to God‘s call to holiness by living morally
upright (justly and righteously) as my daily offering/worship to
God
4. My Plan of Action:

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