angfrayle on August 31st, 2008
The way of righteousness is dynamic and requires change. We walk, Augustine says, through our affections and our morals (De doctrina chris. I). And we walk in the direction to which the Word of God calls us. Christians cannot be fixated along this way, for the journey’s goal is the new Jerusalem itself and away [...]

Continue reading about 26th Sunday OT A: Obedience to the Father’s Will

angfrayle on August 30th, 2008
Below is this afternoon’s exercise with making a sentence flow on the basis of Matthew 16:21-28. On the basis of this sentence flow, one can immediately see the answers to the following questions about the text: “From that time on…” To which episode is Matthew referring here? Which are the two big sections of the [...]

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angfrayle on August 28th, 2008
Matthew 20:1-16a continues the discourse of Jesus in Matthew 19:28-30 which in turn is linked to the episode of the rich young man. Ultimately, the parable of the owner of the vineyard will have to be understood in the light of this preceding episode and the lesson on discipleship that follows it1. Matthew 16:21-28View in: [...]

Continue reading about 25th Sunday OT A: Parable of the Owner of the Vineyard

angfrayle on August 26th, 2008
I am working fast to cover the materials until the 26th Sunday of OT Year A Feast of Christ the King. As new posts multiply, the others will be pushed backwards. By mid-September, you might find these posts pushed way way back that they won’t be referenced anymore in this index page. So here they [...]

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angfrayle on August 25th, 2008
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross falls this year on the 24th Sunday of OT A. The gospel selection is taken from John 3:13-17. The section is known to some people because of John 3:16 which so-called Born Again Christians seem to take as the central text of the Christian faith. However, these [...]

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Matthew 18:15-20 is Matthew’s guidelines for resolving issues involving relationships within the community. He puts it within a context where the discourse of the Lord is on seeking the sheep that strays and forgiving. Fraternal correction may appear to be a touchy matter for anyone who has any experience of community life. But it is [...]

Continue reading about 23rd Sunday OT A: The Church as Prophet and Agent of Reconciliation

angfrayle on August 18th, 2008
People generally use the Sambuhay Missalette as a help for getting through the Mass.  After Vatican II, it was one of the means used by parishes to educate the lay faithful in the ways of the then “new” Mass and help them become more participative.  While the form of the Missalette has not changed during [...]

Continue reading about Using the Sambuhay Missalette for the BEC Meeting

angfrayle on August 17th, 2008
Discipleship is not just about following Jesus. There were many who followed him but were not his disciples. The disciple is first one who listens, learns and watches the Master. Second, he is the student of the Master. Until now the disciples have been listening, learning and watching what Jesus did. From now on however, [...]

Continue reading about 22nd Sunday OT A: The Cross of Discipleship

mystical geek on August 16th, 2008

One of the problems BEC leaders in urban areas have is that the members of their cell groups are professionals, college graduates and individuals who are daily in contact with representatives of other religions. To get ahead of them and be able to present a gospel reading for reflection would seem to require a broader biblical and liturgical culture. That is true of course; it is for this reason that formation programs for the laity are offered by dioceses (e.g. the GAWARASAL). It is also for this reason that during the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, it was decided that Lay Ministers of the Word should also be installed alongside the Lay Ministers of the Eucharist.  Parishes have also been sending chosen members to pastoral programs where these are existent.  I together with three other parishioners have attended the Scripture Ventures program in Tagaytay.  But training programs are not enough.

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angfrayle on August 16th, 2008
Below is an old article I wrote about studying Scriptures with the Biblical Index of the CCC. CCC editions published in the Philippines nowadays do not have the biblical index. For some reason, the publishers have omitted it. The biblical index is found in editions published outside of the Philippines. As far as Philippine editions [...]

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angfrayle on August 11th, 2008
Matthew 16:13-19 has been rewritten so as to answer a question already being raised during Matthew’s time: How is it that though Peter denied Christ three times, he is still regarded as the leader of the Church? The answer that Matthew gives, drawn from a tradition unique to him, is that Jesus himself wanted Peter [...]

Continue reading about 21st Sunday OT A: The Office of Peter, the Rock

mystical geek on August 7th, 2008

The Bible Workshop is now open!

I have announced this new section of Res Biblica in an earlier blog. It currently contains materials based on the Sunday Gospels until the 20th Sunday of OT A (in English and Filipino) plus additional pages on the methods we are using in the our Bible Study sessions.  Below are the new pages, more will be added before the end of the month of August.

 

Our Principles of Study
A description of the three-fold adherence that guides our bible sessions:  adherence to the Word of God, adherence to the Complete Canon of the Christian Scriptures and adherence to the Scriptural text.  These three-fold adherence is required by the Word of God Himself who is proclaimed in, through and by the Church. 
Why Word of God Cannot Be Scriptures Alone
An article that explains why the Sola Scriptura idea cannot be Christian. It is the same article that I have posted on the web since January 2000.  It has a second part which is more known and which has somehow become a classic description of how “Word of God” means, not Scriptures alone, but Christ first and foremost, the Tradition of the Apostles, and Scriptures.  The first part of the article deconstructs the myth of Sola Scriptura through the use of three bible passages.
Our Study of the Scriptural Text
A description of the steps we follow in our communal study of the Sacred Scriptures.  First, we observe the text, then we create a sentence flow.  Based on the sentence flow, we do our word study (analysis), and afterwards, after “untying” the scriptural text, we ask ourselves:  What does this all mean to us today? 

The Filipino pages are all based on the Sunday Gospel readings and somehow extend the functionality of the text attachment I post with the Sunday Thoughts articles at Res Biblica. The articles follow the same pattern: after a brief introduction of the Sunday Gospel, the text from the TPV is presented, after which I provide guides for the observation of the text (Pansinin ang Teksto). The text is provided for those who have English bibles so that it can become the basis for work on the sentence flow of the text. Then I provide guidelines for further study. This section of Bible Workshop is intended for those who are working with cell groups whose members are more at home with the Filipino Mass.  Below are the available pages.

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