Christian Faith Education

God Journeys with His People

Course Description
 This is a subject required for all first year college students as
their first Christian Education course in the CICM tertiary
school. The course leads the students to learn and appreciate
the initiative of God as encountered in human history just to
bring back people to the right path and to guide them not to
commit the same mistakes done by their fore-fathers. This
course will discuss the different ways on how God Journeys
with His people starting with the calling of Abraham and the
prophets, the peak of His revelation through His Son Jesus
Christ and His vision of the Kingdom, and His continuing
guidance to the people through the Holy Spirit who is present
in the Church and her celebrations. With this framework, the
first part of the course will present a brief discussion about the
Sacred Scriptures, its formation and compilation as the so
called Bible which is the primary record of this God’s journey
with his people, and the methods of bringing out its message.
Performance Output

 Portfolio (storybook, photoalbum)

 Retreat or Recollection
 Mass attendance/Church Service
Performance Standard

 A portfolio is a performance task that is non-negotiable

which the students need to fulfill. It is a story book or
photo album with description of the student’s encounter
with God as he/she journeys with Him through the CFE
discussions, included in the portfolio is the compilation of
reflections. A day of reflection, prayer and discernment
is required to students to deepen their encounter with
God through a recollection or retreat. Equally important
are the students’ active participation on the day of the
Lord in their particular churches thus, mass/church
service attendance is required.
General Introduction

At the outset of creation, God’s desire to share

His love, His goodness and His wisdom. The
creation is a living testimony of this love and
goodness. In creation, the human being holds a
special place. God said, “Let us make man in
our image, after our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). God
even gives the human being a share in His own
creativity: “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth
and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28)
General Introduction
 Lumen Gentium reiterates God’s goodness as follows:

The eternal Father, in accordance with the utterly

gratuitous and mysterious design of his wisdom and
goodness, created the whole universe, and chose
to raise up men to share in his own divine life; when
they had fallen in Adam, He did not abandon
them, but at all times held out to the means of
salvation, bestowed in consideration of Christ, the
Redeemer, who is the image of the invisible God,
the first born of every creature. (1 and 2) When the
work which the Father gave the Son to do on earth
was accomplished the Holy Spirit was sent on the
day of Pentecost in order that he might continually
have access through Jesus Christ in one Spirit of the
Father. (4)
General Introduction
Through God’s initiative, a covenant was
forged between Him and the human
persons. God remained faithful to his promise
to be the God of his people despite the
infidelities of the humankind. God’s
faithfulness in the covenant is seen as He
journeys with his people throughout history. In
this course, the students will reaffirm their
commitment to the covenant God had
made with them in baptism as they
rediscover the greatness of God’s love.
Vision
The CICM-Philippines school network is
a vibrant community of catholic
educational institutions drawn into
communion by Jesus Christ, the
Incarnate Wisdom of God, dedicated to
the integral formation of persons
exemplifying Missio et excellentia.
Mission Statements
 As a community of Catholic educational institutions, we
commit to:
1. Joyfully animate and gratefully care for one another as
a pioneering, innovative, transformative and
collaborative community inspired by Mary, the Mother
of Jesus
2. Work together in the good and beautiful mission of
evangelization, as moved by the charism of Theophile
Verbist, especially in frontier situations and the CICM
advocacies
3. Nurture life-faith integrated persons, compassionate
missioners, globally enterprising leaders, socially
engaged professionals and ethically committed
stewards.
 Mission Statements
 Objectives (CICM-RP General Education Apostolate)
1. To carry out the mission of the evangelization to bring about
the Christian understanding, appreciation and practice of
faith in God, human relationships, moral values, and life-
long dimensions of culture and society.
2. To form a vibrant Catholic educational community of
administrators, teachers, personnel, students and other
stakeholders with dignity and integrity as a witness to God’s
kingdom through
M – Meaningful liturgical celebration (Faith Celebration)
A – Active social involvement (Faith Action)
R – Relevant Religious Education (Faith Formation)
I – Intensive Mission and Vocation animation (Faith
Response)
A – Animating Organization (Faith Community)
3. To animate our educators in the mission of the
Church and CICM mission in education as essential
component in sustaining professional excellence, thus
realizing their teaching professionals a sacred call in
the service of god and His people.
4. To create relevant and innovative educational
programs that will transform learners as impelled by
passion for mission and academic excellence to
become responsible citizens, competent professionals
and Christian leaders.
5. To positively engage with the society in the
generation of knowledge, enrichment of skills and
nourishment of attitude enlightened by the Christian
Faith and Catholic teachings through instruction,
research and community involvement.
6. To serve as a dynamic base for the CICM
Philippine Province to promote missionary
vocations and to participate in the missionary
ministry of the local Church and the universal
Church.
7. To be committed to the promotion of life
among the people of God, preferentially with
the poor, disadvantaged and marginalized,
through the CICM advocacies of multi-
ethnicity, justice, peace, care for the
environment, wider access to quality
education, other community services.
SLU VISION and MISSION

Saint Louis University is an excellent

missionary and transformative
educational institution that is
zealous in developing human
resources to be creative,
competent, socially involved, and
imbued with the Christian Spirit.
 Introduction to the Sacred Scriptures
God’s various ways of revealing himself including the
people’s responses were recorded and compiled to
what we know today as Sacred Scriptures. Through
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the writers were so
inspired that what they wrote through human words
became the Words of God. Thus, we can say that
through the Sacred Scriptures, God is revealing his
intentions, his will and his love to us. This makes the
Sacred Scriptures the foundation for how we live and
what we believe. “The interpretation of Sacred
Scripture requires full participation on the part of the
exegetes in the life and of the believing community of
their own time.” (DV 29)
Introduction to the Sacred Scriptures
Context:
Akala ko…

Nung mas bata ako..akala ko…

Yun pala…
Just like other things, the Bible has undergone a process…
Inspired Word: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (Mt.
19-20; Mt. 12:1-5)
16All scripture is inspired by God and is
useful for teaching, for refutation, for
correction, and for training
righteousnesss,
17so that one who belongs to God may

be competent, equipped for every

good work.
In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, Paul instructs
Timothy to be steadfast to what he has been
taught and to scriptures. The Scriptures are the
source of wisdom, i.e. of belief in loving
fulfillment of God’s word revealed in Christ,
through whom salvation is given.
All Scripture is inspired by God. God is its
principal author, with the writer as the human
collaborator. Thus the scriptures are the word of
God in human language. The books of the Bible
are useful for teaching because as God’s Word,
the Scriptures share His divine authority. It is
exercised through those who are ministers of the
word.
Church Teaching
1. Biblical Inspiration
According to Dei Verbum (Ch 3, 11),
those divinely revealed realities which are
contained and presented in Sacred
Scripture have been committed to writing
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For
holy mother Church, relying on the belief of
the apostles, holds that the books of both
the Old and New Testament in their entirety,
with all their parts, are sacred and
canonical because written under the
Inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as
their author and have been handed on as
such to the Church herself.
In composing the Sacred books:
1. God chose men and while employed by
Him,
2. They made use of their powers and
abilities, so that with Him acting in them and
through them
3. They, as true authors, consigned to writing
everything and only those things which He
wanted
4. Therefore, since everything asserted by the
inspired authors or sacred writers must be held
to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that
the books of Scripture must be acknowledged
as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error
that truth which God wanted put into sacred
writings.
5. For the sake of salvation.
 Biblical interpretation means that the sacred
and canonical books of the Old and New
Testaments, whole and entire, were written
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that
we can call God their “author” and the Bible
“the Word of God.” God chose certain human
authors, who as true authors made full us of
their human powers and faculties, yet were so
guided by the Holy Spirit who so enlightened
their minds and move their wills, that they put
into writing what God wanted written (CFC 85)
2. Canon of the Bible
The Greek kanon means primarily a reed,
or measuring-rod; by a natural figure it was
employed by ancient writers to denote a
rule or standard. Thus Vatican II stipulates
the canon of the Bible as follows:
Those divinely revealed realities have been
committed to writing by men under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, the scriptures are sacred and
canonical.
The Catechism of Filipino Catholic reiterates the
canon of the Scripture as it say:
“The canon of Scripture is divided into the books
written before Jesus’ life (the Old Testament)
and those written after (the New Testament).
The Church determined the inspired and
normative New Testament books in terms of
their apostolic origin, coherence with the
essential message, and constant use in the
Church’s liturgy. After a long development, the
Church finally accepted as inspired, sacred,
and canonical, the 46 books of the Old
Testament and the 27 books of the New
Testament that we find our Catholic bible.” (88)
Books Included in the Catholic Bible

Tobit
Judith
1 Maccabees
2 Maccabees
Wisdom of Solomon
Wisdom of Sirach (also called Ecclesiasticus)
Baruch including the Letter of Jeremiah
Additions to Esther
Additions to Daniel:
3. Interpretation of the Biblical text
- to answer the problem on how to faithfully and
accurately interpret the sacred Scriptures, the
Filipino Catholic is clear through church’s
document as follows by considering the following
factors:
1. The inspired human author’s intention
2. The text itself
3. The reader of the text
4. The common horizon connecting the original
community context of the text with our
community reading today.
Exegesis
the exposition or
explanation of a text based
on a careful, objective
analysis. It literally means “to
lead out of.”
Eisegesis
the interpretation of a passage
based on a subjective, non-analytical
reading. It literally means “to lead
into,” which means the interpreter
injects his own ideas into the text,
making it whatever he wants.
For example,
Revelation 3:15-16,
John is talking to the church in Laodicea, which
was a city in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). In
these verses, John uses the terms “hot,” “cold,”
and “lukewarm.” He says this, “I know your
deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish
you were either one or the other! So, because
you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am
about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev 3:15-16
NIV)
Taken from: https://www.sagu.edu/thoughthub/exegesis-versus-eisegesis
In modern religious circles, we might say someone is “on
fire” for the Lord. So, someone might understand “hot” to
mean “on fire,” religiously zealous, or 100% committed to
God.
In modern religious circles, we also say that someone is
spiritually “cold” when they are not religious, or not
committed to God at all. So someone might understand
“cold” in Revelation 3:15-16 to mean a non-believer, or
someone who is not committed to God.
Finally, since lukewarm is between hot and cold, we
might understand “lukewarm” to mean someone who is
religious but who is not fully committed to God, or who
does not display the outward signs of religious fervor that
we associate with someone who is “on fire” for the Lord.
Taken from: https://www.sagu.edu/thoughthub/exegesis-versus-eisegesis
 Exegesis, on the other hand, looks to the original context of
Revelation 3:15-16. It looks at the original Greek words for hot,
cold, and lukewarm and explores how they would have
been understood by the original author and audience of this
passage of Scripture.
 In this case, hot, cold, and lukewarm are probably referring to
water temperature, using the water situation at Laodicea as
a metaphor for the people in the church at Laodicea.
 Laodicea was a rich city with many industries thriving in it. For
all of its wealth and prestige, however, it also had hard,
unpleasant water. Two neighboring cities, Hierapolis and
Colossae, had much better water.

Taken from: https://www.sagu.edu/thoughthub/exegesis-versus-eisegesis

These three cities, Laodicea, Hierapolis, and
Colossae, were so close to one another that they
are mentioned as a triad in Colossians 4:13. Studies
from the ancient world tell us that Hierapolis was
known for its hot springs. The hot water of Hierapolis
was used by the Romans as a health spa, similar to
the way natural hot springs are used today.
Colossae, on the other hand, had cold, refreshing
water. If you’ve ever been in a hot place during the
summertime, you understand the value of cold
water.
Taken from: https://www.sagu.edu/thoughthub/exegesis-versus-eisegesis
https://www.biblestudy.org/maps/new-testament-churches/churches-of-revelation.html
Laodicea, unfortunately, did not have enough
water for its population. It had to pipe water into
the city, and when the water got there it was
neither hot nor cold, but was lukewarm. It wasn’t
useful, hot water for healing, and it wasn’t useful,
cold water for refreshing. So for all their wealth
and prestige in the ancient world, Laodicea had
an embarrassing situation with their water. And
John, in Revelation 3:15-16, uses that
embarrassing situation to make a point about the
Christians in Laodicea.
Taken from: https://www.sagu.edu/thoughthub/exegesis-versus-eisegesis
When it says “I wish you were either one or the other,”
John is saying that Jesus wishes they were useful, that
they were either healing or refreshing to people.
Apparently, based on the rest of this section in
Revelation, this rich city of Laodicea was content to
be blessed, but they were not doing anything with it.
They weren’t being good witnesses to Jesus. They
were not helping other people. They weren’t even
looking to Jesus for their provision, but instead
boasted in being able to pull themselves up by their
own bootstraps. In other words, they were lukewarm
Christians who talk a big game, but are not being
helpful to other people.

https://www.sagu.edu/thoughthub/exegesis-versus-eisegesis
 Missionary Response
 The books of the Bible are inspired writings. They contain God’s
word expressed in human language. The books provide us
instructions and insights on right living. As hearers of the Word of
God, we are strongly encouraged to:
1.Read prayerfully the Bible and reflect on the
messages of the Bible in our lives
2. Practice the values gained from reading the Bible
by dealing with our families and schoolmates
honestly and humbly
3. Share the Word of God by giving bookmarks with
inspiring messages of the Bible to our family, friends,
and schoolmates.
 Chapter 1
God, the Father Journeys with his People
Introduction
This chapter will discuss the encounter of
people with God as He continues with them.
The Hebrew Bible, also known as Mikra (what is
read) or TaNaKh, an acronym referring to the
traditional Jewish division of the Bible into Torah
(Teaching), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim
(Writings), is the founding document of the
people of Israel, describing its origins, history
and visions of a just society.
God, the Father Journeys with his People
5 Books of Moses (Torah)
Retells
the story of how the family of Abraham and
Sarah became the people of Israel
 how they came back from exile in Egypt,
under the leadership of Moses, to the border of
the land of Israel, on the way stopping at
Mount Sinai for the revelation of the 10
Commandments
God, the Father Journeys with his People
5 Books of Moses (Torah)
 includes both the narrative of the formation
of the people of Israel and the laws defining
the covenant that binds the people to God
God, the Father Journeys with his People
Prophets (Nevi’im)
Presents Israel’s history as a nation on its land.
The Israelites conquer and settle; they are
beset by local enemies and eventually by
imperial powers on its land.
Political and political leaders vie for hearts; the
supporters of God’s covenant do battle against
the paganism of neighboring groups and
among the Israelites themselves
God, the Father Journeys with his People
Prophets (Nevi’im)
A kingdom, a capital, and a Temple
are built and eventually destroyed.
Prophets who experienced the exile
teach a renewed monotheism to a
chastened Israel.
God, the Father Journeys with his People
Ketuvim (writings)
- contains poetry, temple ritual,
private prayer, wisdom, national
tragedy, even love.
- contains the wisest path in life, of
God’s goodness and justice.
- also contains historical retellings and
short stories.
Discussion will focus on:
Abraham
Moses
Exodus (Red Sea experience and covenant at the
Mt. Sinai)
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Hosea
Amos
Jonah
Pet Projects
Everyone has a secret hobby, side-hustle or
passion project that they run home to on
evenings or weekends. The problem is there is
rarely an opportunity or safe space to share it.
This can be a current project, a past project or
even a desired project.
Activity: Go around in a circle and answer the
following question:
Do you have a passion project or hobby you
look forward to doing in your time off?
Taken from: https://www.scienceofpeople.com/team-building-activities/
Lesson I
God the Father Journeys with His People in
Torah
Inspired Word:
Abraham: Gen 12:1-3, Gen 15:1-18,
Gen. 21:1-7; 22:1-24
The Call of Abram
12 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your
country, your people and your father’s
household to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”[b]
The LORD’s Covenant With Abram
15 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,[a]
your very great reward.[b]”
2 But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit[c] my estate is
Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your
heir.” 5 Hetook him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to
him, “So shall your offspring[d] be.”
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
7 He also said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”
8 But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”
9 So the LORD said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not
cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the LORD said
to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they
will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with
great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth
generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the
pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the
Wadi[e] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates
In order to gather together scattered humanity,
God calls Abram from his country, his kindred
and his father’s house, and makes him Abraham,
that is, “father of a multitude of nations.” The
people who descended from Abraham would
be the trustee of the promise made to the
patriarchs, the chosen people, called to prepare
for that day when God will gather all his children
into unity of the Church. They would be the root
onto which the gentiles would be grafted, once
they came to believe.
Moses: Exodus 3
- called by God
- chose the paths of a father and shepherd of
sheep
- through his trust and faith in God, fulfilled his
mission with God
- had a constant dialogue with God
Exodus Ex. 14:10-28, 20:1-17
On the very night on which they have
sacrificed the Passover Lamb, the Hebrews
depart. The Egyptians pursue and overtake them
when they were reaching the marshes along the
Red Sea. Here will take place the most prominent
event in sacred history before Jesus comes. God
opens the way for his people and saves them,
while their enemies drown in the sea.
 The liberation of Israel remains as a model for
all those who, after Moses, have struggled to
uplift their brothers and make them free men in a
more just world.
The biblical passages presented here are the
stories of Abraham, Moses and the two
foundational event in the Old Testament. These
passages relate how GOD Journeyed with his
people and how the people responded and
cooperated with God.
 Church Teaching;

God journeys with his people in the story of

Abraham, Moses and the foundational event of
Exodus (flight from Egypt and Sinai covenant).
This journey is affirmed in the Catechism for
Filipino Catholic as follows:
The Old Testament:
1. presents the inspired story of God forming his
own people by establishing a special
relationship with them.

2. contains a covenant which was a call to

fuller life and salvation.
“I will make you a great nation and I will
bless you” (Gen. 12:1-2)
“All nations on earth shall find blessing. All
this because you obeyed my command.”
(Gen. 22:18)
 3. reveals that God is a personal God, eager to
endow His people with land, material
possessions and countless descendants.
In the call of Moses we can see that:
1. God liberates
“I have heard the affliction of my people
in Egypt and heard their cry of complaint
against their slave drivers… come now, I
will send you to pharaoh to lead my
people out of Egypt.” (Ex. 3:7-10)
2. God is a “Father” to the Israelites
- chose them “to be a people peculiarly
his own.” This was not because they were
the largest of all nations, but solely
because he “set His heart” on them and
love them. (CFC 277-278)
 The same document reiterates God’s journey
with us His people and remained faithful to that
promise despite our infidelities. It stipulates the ff:
1. The God of the covenant brought salvation
to his people by his active presence.

2. God promised a new presence in a New

Covenant, fashioned by a promised savior,
Jesus, through our baptism.
 Unfortunately, like the Israelites of old, the
covenant of God’s promise of life is often
forgotten or taken for granted, and our
covenant response to our Baptismal Promises
only rarely recalled.