DR. NATIVIDAD B. PAGADUT

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

EPISCOPAL COMMISSION ON THE BIBLICAL APOSTOLATE

3rd objective of this 15th

Annual Meeting of

Catechetical Ministers

3. To engage in a friendly

exchange with theological experts

in the areas of Scriptures, Doctrine,

Morality and Liturgy so as to be

updated in the sources (content) of

catechesis.

Purpose?

to be updated in the

sources (content) of

catechesis.

My Topic

Outline of my Friendly

Sharing

1. What is a paradigm?

Paradigm Shift?

2. Why do we need paradigm

shifts in catechesis and

religious education?

3. How/what are necessary

paradigm shifts in teaching

Scripture?

paradigm

Popularized by Thomas

Khun in a book which

came out in 1962 entitled

“The Structure of Scientific

Revolutions”

A paradigm signifies an

implicit or explicit set of

rules that molds a person’s

perspectives, affects the

way he sees and shapes his

view of the world.

Paradigm shift

A change in the basic

assumptions within the

ruling theory of science.

It is what members of a

scientific community,

and they alone, share.

Outline of my Friendly

Sharing

1. What is a paradigm?

Paradigm Shift?

2. Why do we need paradigm

shifts in catechesis and

religious education?

3. How/what are necessary

paradigm shifts in teaching

Scripture?

Paradigms

of the

World

Paradigms

of the

Word

His encyclical, Redemptoris MissioNew Evangelization:

Saint John Paul II describes a situation between

the first two options “where entire groups of the baptized have lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church, and live a life far removed from Christ and his Gospel. In this case what is needed is a ‘new evangelization’ or a ‘re-evangelization.’”

•Year of Faith

•New Evangelization

•Year of the Laity

File C of NBPagadut 2014

Year of the Laity

VERBUM DOMINI

Post-Synodal Apostolic

Exhortation of Benedict XV

The New Evangelization?

•Laudato Si

All Christian people must make

a fundamental paradigm

choice: the decision between

what is and what seems to be,

the eternal and the temporal.

Shift from a cultural way of

seeing life to a biblical way of

seeing life.

OUR PARADIGMS

(to be noted in

relation to Scripture)

VERBUM DOMINI NO. 74

An important aspect of the Church’s

pastoral work which, if used wisely, can

help in rediscovering the centrality of

God’s word is catechesis, which in its

various forms and levels must

constantly accompany the journey of

the People of God. (See Luke 24: 13-

35)

Various meanings of “Word of God”

1.The Logos refers in the first place to the Eternal Word, the Only Son, begotten of the Father before all ages and consubstantial with him: the word was with

God and the word was God. (Jn 1,1) (VD 7)

Various meanings of “Word

of God”

2. Voice of Creation

3. Word of men and women in the history

of salvation: prophets, apostles, saints

4. Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word.

Various meanings of “Word

of God”

5. The living Tradition of the Church

6. The Holy Bible, the written Word of God.

7. Our Conscience

Scripture invites us to paradigms and paradigm shifts

While in the Church we greatly venerate the

sacred Scriptures, the Christian faith is not a “religion of the book”:

Christianity is the “religion of the word of God,” not of a “written and mute word, but of the incarnate and

living Word” (VD 7)

VERBUM DOMINI NO. 74Here I wish first and foremost to stress that

catechesis “must be permeated by the

mindset, the spirit and the outlook of the

Bible and the Gospels through assiduous

contact with the texts themselves; yet it also

means remembering that catechesis will be

all the richer and more effective for reading

the texts with the mind and heart of the

Church” and for drawing inspiration from the

two millennia of the Church’s reflection and

life.

Paradigms and

paradigm shifts

start with the

evangelizer

himself/herself.

VERBUM DOMINI NO. 74

A knowledge of biblical personages , events

and well known sayings should thus be

encouraged; this can also be promoted by

the judicious memorization of some

passages which are particularly expressive

of the Christian mysteries. …. Catechesis

should communicate in a lively way the

history of salvation and the content of the

Church’ faith and so enable every member

of the faithful to realize that this history is

also part of his or her own life.

No. 85 VD on women I would like to highlight the recommendations

of the Synod concerning the role of women in

relation to the word of God. Today, more than

in the past, the “feminine genius”, to use the

words of John Paul II, has contributed greatly

to the understanding of Scriptures and to the

whole life of the Church, and this is now also

the case with biblical studies. The Synod paid

special attention to the indispensable role

played by women in the family, education,

catechesis and the communication of values.

“They have an ability to lead people

to hear God’s word, to enjoy a

personal relationship with God, and

to show the meaning of forgiveness;

they communicate wars and of

evangelical sharing.”

They are likewise messengers of love,

models of mercy and peacemakers;

they communicate warmth and

humanity in a world which all too often

judges people according to the ruthless

criteria of exploitation and profit.

Prepare the Way of

Pope Francis

Discover the Joy of the

GospelPreparing the Way of the Pope: Discovering the Joy of the Gospel Seminar/Workshop (November 15, 2014)

Our encounter with Jesus gives rise to a desire to share our joy

with others. Pope Francis is inviting us “to go forth from

our own comfort zone in order to reach all the ‘peripheries’ in

need of the light of the Gospel”.

Preparing the Way of the Pope: Discovering the Joy of the Gospel Seminar/Workshop (November 15, 2014)

Preparing the Way of the Pope: Discovering the Joy of the Gospel Seminar/Workshop (November 15, 2014)

Simply put, the new evangelization is all about Jesus Christ and living out the faith that draws us closer to him. It’s

about your relationship with Christ, as well as helping others to continually develop a relationship with him, too.

Movement

From

academic,

cerebral

knowledge

To a personal

encounter

with Jesus

….. this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples"

As men and women who believe in and proclaim the

Gospel, we have a responsibility towards

creation. Revelation makes known God’s plan for the

cosmos, yet it also leads us to denounce that mistaken

attitude which refuses to view all created realities as a

reflection of their Creator, but instead as mere raw

materials, to be exploited without scruple. (VD 108)

Co-responsibility?

• Co-responsibility demands a change in mindsetespecially concerning the role of lay people in the Church. They should not be regarded as “collaborators” of the clergy, but, rather, as people who are really “co-responsible” for the Church’s being and acting. It is therefore important that a mature and committed laity be consolidated, which can make its own specific contribution to the ecclesial mission with respect for the ministries and tasks that each one has in the life of the Church and always in cordial communion with the bishops.

(MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI ON THE OCCASION OF THE SIXTH ORDINARY ASSEMBLY OF THE INTERNATIONAL FORUM OF CATHOLIC ACTION) Aug 2012

St. John Paul II, Ecclesia in America, no. 73

• "To this end, it is more necessary than ever for all the faithful to move from a faith of habit, sustained perhaps by social context alone, to a faith which is conscious and personally lived. The renewal of faith will always be the best way to lead others to the Truth that is Christ"

The newness that Pope

Francis wishes to restore

in the Church’s Mission of Evangelization:

JOY

Inviting, first of

all,To view the world from the perspective of those “in the underside of history”

Exactly 1) What Jesus did for

first century Judaism

2) What Francis of Assisi did for medieval Christianity

JESUS’ Gospel

Not about himself as “Christ”“Son of God”

But about the reign of God

“GOSPEL”

Meaning, “good news”

Vocabulary of Isaiah 61

Good news to the Poor

Isaiah speaking

as a prophet of

Hope

Consolation

As God’s

“mouthpiece”

He relied only

on “anointing

by the Spirit”

Not possible to proclaim God’s

GOOD NEWS

without being “anointed by the Spirit”

“Anointing” at the

Core of Christian Life

It is what

Baptism is

about!

Mark 1:8

“I have baptized you with water;

but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Acts 10:38

“…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

Too much focus on

Baptism as

cleansingMakes us forget

the essence of

baptism as

crossing

“Crossing over”

went withAnointing by the SpiritThe opening up of heavensGod’s voice being heard

It is what people

experienced

When they

encountered

Jesus

Anointing by the

Spirit

Heaven opening up

Hearing God’s voice

Experiencing Rebirth

From a child of

one’s parents

To God’s

Beloved Child

In Short

“The Joy

of the

Gospel”

Jesus brought the Joy of the

Gospel

Not through long speeches but through short sound bites, like:

To the woman caught in

adultery (John 8:3-11)

“Neither do I

condemn you,

go and sin no

more…”

To Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-

10)

“Hurry and come

down! For I must

stay at your

house today!”

To the Children (Mark 10:14)

“Let the little children come to me; it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”

To the Paralytic (Mark 2:5)

“My son,

your sins are

forgiven.”

To the Leper (Mark 1:41)

“I do will it;

be made

clean!”

To the woman with hemorrhage

(Mark 5:34):

"Daughter, your

faith has made you

well; go in peace,

and be healed of

your disease."

To the disciples in the midst of

a storm at sea (Mark 6:50)

“Do not be

afraid; it is I.”

To the tax-collectors

(Luke 15:7)

“…there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

To the repentant thief (Luke 23:43)

“Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

To the Canaanite Woman

(Mat 15:28)

"Woman, great is

your faith! Let it

be done for you

as you wish."

To the Poor (Luke 6:20)

“How blessed

are you…, the

kingdom of God

is yours!”

To the weary (Matthew

11:28):

“I will give you rest.”

“God News”?

It is good news because it brings about an encounter with God.

An experience of:

God’s forgiveness

God’s healing

God’s peace

God’s power

God’s presence

Good news to the

Poor

The POOR as

the privileged

recipients of the

GOOD NEWS

Good News as Bad News

for those not disposed for it (i.e., “not poor”)

Example:

“He went

away sad for

he had many

possessions.”

2) Francis of Assisi

Image of that rich young man who was sad,

despite his many possessions…

The Joy of the

GospelSet him free from the prison of sadness and grief

Isaiah 61:

Good News = JoyLiberty to captives

New sight to the blind

Release to prisoners

Jubilee year of debts

canceled

Francis of Assisi

At a time when the Church had deteriorated into a pile of ruins:“Rebuild my Church.”

It was a timeWhen people had gotten used to proclaiming the Gospel without Joy.

StrippedTo his barest necessities

Freed from superfluities

He discovers

a hidden treasure,

a pearl of great price.

Now clothed

again:By the grandeur of nature

Taking from the words of the Gospel:

Mat 6:26

“Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns…”

“…and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Mat 6:28-29

“Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin…”

“…yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.”

It was poverty

That made Francis discover true wealth

That brought him closer to nature

closer kinship to the

elements

Brother sun

Sister moon

Brother wind

Sister air

Brother wind and sister

air…

“Open my eyes to visions pure and faith that I may see the glory around me…”

“I am God’s creature; of you I am part. I feel His love awaken in my heart.”

“Brother Sun, sister Moon, I now can see you, I can hear your tune, so much in love with all that I survey.”

From St. Francis

to Pope Francis:

with the same timeless message of the Gospel.

For people who pursue

wealth

but end up poor:

living a shallow, meaningless, joylessexistence of broken relationships

(with nature, with one another, with God)

Losing a sense

of God’s Amazing Grace

which alone awakens FAITH in usi.e., the human ability to

respond to the God who speaks to us,

the God who loved us first.

An Experience of

AWAKENING

To God’s Love

To the Sweet Sound

of God’s Voice

Of God’s Amazing

Grace

This is what

THE JOY OF

THE GOSPEL is

about!

A Joy that amazes…

I once was

lost but now

I’m found…

“I’m found.”

I did not

find him. He

found me.

Like a lost sheep

whom the Shepherd did not give up on.

Just when you thought

He had left you to die in the cold dark night…

(It was after all your fault that you had gotten lost…)

You suddenly hear His

Voice:

Which makes you realize: He had not stopped looking for you.

You were blinded, but now you see:

the Shepherd’s Joy in finding you and bringing you home…

Sing Along: Stanzas 1 &

3

Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now I’m found; was blind but now I see.

Through many

dangers, toils and

snares… I have

already come.

T’was grace that brought us safe thus far… and grace will lead me home.