IN CONSIDERATION OF THE FACILITATOR'S HEALTH, THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Life is filled with decisions to be made whether these are matters that are personal, communal or societal. Such decisions are influenced by certain beliefs and values that people presuppose. This is true for both people of faith and those who do not believe.
How then is the Christian different when quite often such decisions are made without any reference to or consideration of what one believes. Financial decisions may rely simply on economic data and opinions. The use of money is, for instance, ordinarily not seen in the light of faith. Social decisions may be based on one’s knowledge of society and social relations. What influences one’s affective life may draw mainly from insights gained from psychology. Faith, while claimed to be supremely important in Christian life, often hardly affects decisions that Catholics make. Faith then turns out to be inoperative in practice. It is merely given lip service.
Theologizing or doing theology is what enables every Catholic and the church as a whole to see the necessary connections between life and faith. It is the process of deliberately and consciously relating faith to human experiences so that the former can impact the latter. Far from an activity engaged into only by church professionals like the clergy and religious brothers or sisters, theological reflection is part and parcel as well as the responsibility of being a Christian for the following reasons.
First, doing theology enables us to rationally comprehend what we believe.
While faith is not based on reason, it is not irrational. To learn in theology that apart from being called “Father,” for instance, God is also regarded as “mother” is to discover the church’s judicious use of human language to comprehend who God is for us. To provide a further example, such thoughtful reflection would probe into the rights and responsibilities of every member of the church arising from baptism as the fundamental vocation of Christians.
Second, reflecting theologically strengthens our faith by deepening our understanding of it.
To understand why Catholics gather for the Eucharist on Sundays, not merely to fulfil an obligation but to experience their being church, is a good example. Being able to articulate theologically the significance of what we practice actually deepens our sense of faith.
Third, to do theology is to intentionally relate the faith to the challenges of our contemporary globalized world.
Is occasional financial help to the poor all that our faith requires of us today as the official church sees it? Is environmental irresponsibility indeed a new form of sinfulness? Are our cultural traditions as distinct peoples of any importance in being Catholic? What has Catholicism to do with people of other faiths? How should we regard and relate to them as believers?
Those who follow Jesus are asked to love God not only with their whole heart, but also with their whole mind. Engaging in serious theological reflection is an expression of our love for God.
Life is filled with decisions to be made whether these are matters that are personal, communal or societal. Such decisions are influenced by certain beliefs and values that people presuppose. This is true for both people of faith and those who do not believe.
How then is the Christian different when quite often such decisions are made without any reference to or consideration of what one believes. Financial decisions may rely simply on economic data and opinions. The use of money is, for instance, ordinarily not seen in the light of faith. Social decisions may be based on one’s knowledge of society and social relations. What influences one’s affective life may draw mainly from insights gained from psychology. Faith, while claimed to be supremely important in Christian life, often hardly affects decisions that Catholics make. Faith then turns out to be inoperative in practice. It is merely given lip service.
Theologizing or doing theology is what enables every Catholic and the church as a whole to see the necessary connections between life and faith. It is the process of deliberately and consciously relating faith to human experiences so that the former can impact the latter. Far from an activity engaged into only by church professionals like the clergy and religious brothers or sisters, theological reflection is part and parcel as well as the responsibility of being a Christian for the following reasons.
First, doing theology enables us to rationally comprehend what we believe.
While faith is not based on reason, it is not irrational. To learn in theology that apart from being called “Father,” for instance, God is also regarded as “mother” is to discover the church’s judicious use of human language to comprehend who God is for us. To provide a further example, such thoughtful reflection would probe into the rights and responsibilities of every member of the church arising from baptism as the fundamental vocation of Christians.
Second, reflecting theologically strengthens our faith by deepening our understanding of it.
To understand why Catholics gather for the Eucharist on Sundays, not merely to fulfil an obligation but to experience their being church, is a good example. Being able to articulate theologically the significance of what we practice actually deepens our sense of faith.
Third, to do theology is to intentionally relate the faith to the challenges of our contemporary globalized world.
Is occasional financial help to the poor all that our faith requires of us today as the official church sees it? Is environmental irresponsibility indeed a new form of sinfulness? Are our cultural traditions as distinct peoples of any importance in being Catholic? What has Catholicism to do with people of other faiths? How should we regard and relate to them as believers?
Those who follow Jesus are asked to love God not only with their whole heart, but also with their whole mind. Engaging in serious theological reflection is an expression of our love for God.
About the facilitator
José M. de Mesa, a lay theologian, is recognized as one of the most important theologians of the world today by the Missionwissenschaftliches Missio in Aachen, Germany. He is presently a University Fellow at De La Salle University, Manila and a Professor of Applied Theology at the Inter-Congregational Theological Centre in the Philippines. He also teaches regularly in Theological Union in Chicago and East Asia Pastoral Institute and is a published author.
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