Some Important Things You Should Know!

1. The BEC is not an organization like the Catholic

Women’s League (CWL), the Knights of Columbus
(K or C), Legion of Mary, Apostolado, etc. nor a
movement like the Cursillo or the Charismatic
movement. These movements or organization
frequently focus primarily on one aspect of the
Christian life, e.g. the Spiritual.

The BEC is a WAY OF BEING CHURCH that is

concerned with all aspects of the life of the
person and of the community. It is the most basic
realization of the local church.
2. The BEC focuses on relationships.
3. The BEC building is a process with its own pains and difficulties.

INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE

The meaning of the Bible

 Bible is a collective remembering by the

people of God.
1. Our collective memory is valuable
part of our lives. They link our past
with the present and give meanings
and values to our human existence.
2. The people of the old and new testaments came to know God through what God
did for them.

The bible is composed of two large groupings of old and new testaments. The
Catholic Bible has 73 books (46 Old Testaments, 27 New Testaments).
We need to read the Bible in such a way that the word which God speaks to us through its
books becomes alive.
1. Old Testament- stories, epics, laws, liturgy, poems, teachings, wisdom writings,
apocalyptic writing with its symbols of images, colors and numbers.
2. New Testament- miracles, parables, vocation stories, discourses, controversy,
apocalyptic writing.
The Old Testament has 46 books grouped in 4: the PENTATEUCH, the HISTORICAL BOOKS, the
PROPHETS, and the WISDOM WRITINGS
(Wisdom and Psalms)

1. PENTATEUCH (or the Law; the Tora)

comes from a Greek word ‘5 books’ and
forms the first part of the Old Testament.
It reveals the God of Israel who never
abandons His people in spite of their
obstinacy and infidelities towards the
covenant they made with Him.
It focuses on the covenant relationship
between God and the Israelites, renewed and interpreted in terms of the people’s life
experiences.

GENESIS is the “Book of the Beginning”

(Chapters 1-11)

EXODUS is the “Story of Liberation” that marks the birth of Israel as a nation. It traces
Israel’s release from slavery and their wanderings through the desert where they are
given the 10 Commandments.
 It is the turning point in the history of Israel.
 Mark the real beginning of the history of Israel as a people.
 The covenant experience of Israel was the climax of the exodus event.
 The Sinai covenant is a relationship between God and Israel.
“You shall be my very own possession among all the nations.”

LEVITICUS, the “Book of Laws”, consists mainly of laws on religious ceremonies, on

worship and family relationships and community life.

NUMBERS gives the account of Israel’s 40 years of complaint and discontent as they
wandered through the desert.

DEUTERONOMY, the “Second Law” contains Moses’ speeches on the eve of his death.
Focusing on the covenant, he reminded the people of God’s love and protection for
them and their response through fidelity to God’s law. It ends with the appointment of
Joshua as Moses’ successor.

2. HISTORICAL BOOKS (16 BOOKS) cover the period from the conquest of Canaan, the rule
of Israel’s kings to exile in Babylon and return from captivity to Canaan.
3. WISDOM BOOKS contain the people of God’s reflection on their life as they struggled to
remain faithful to the covenant.
 4. PROPHETIC BOOKS. The contents underscore the message of deliverance upon
conversion (“change of heart”).

The BIBLE is a collective remembering by the people of God.

1. Our collective memory is a valuable part of our lives. They link our past with the present
and give meanings and values to our human existence.

As community, we gather strength and courage from the remembrance of shared

struggles, from the realization of common aspirations and dreams. They make us what
we are as individuals, as a community or as a nation. In our collective memories, we
recall events and persons who play vital roles in those shared experiences e.g. national
events, heroes and heroines, etc.

We need to read the Bible in such a way that the word which God speaks to us
through its books becomes alive.
1. Old Testament- stories, epics, laws, liturgy, poems, teachings, wisdom writings,
apocalyptic writing with its symbols of images, colors and numbers.
2. New Testament- miracles, parables, vocation stories, discourses, controversy,
apocalyptic writing.

The Old Testament has 46 books grouped in 4: the PENTATEUCH, the HISTORICAL BOOKS, the
PROPHETS, and the WISDOM WRITINGS (Wisdom and Psalms)

5. PENTATEUCH (or the Law; the Tora) comes from a Greek word ‘5 books’ and forms the
first part of the Old Testament.
It reveals the God of Israel who never abandons His people in spite of their obstinacy
and infidelities towards the covenant they made with Him.
It focuses on the covenant relationship between God and the Israelites, renewed and
interpreted in terms of the people’s life experiences.

GENESIS is the “Book of the Beginning”

(Chapters 1-11)
EXODUS is the “Story of Liberation” that marks the birth of Israel as a nation. It traces
Israel’s release from slavery and their wanderings through the desert where they are
given the 10 Commandments.
LEVITICUS, the “Book of Laws”, consists mainly of laws on religious ceremonies, on
worship and family relationships and community life.
NUMBERS gives the account of Israel’s 40 years of complaint and discontent as they
wandered through the desert.
DEUTERONOMY, the “Second Law” contains Moses’ speeches on the eve of his death.
Focusing on the covenant, he reminded the people of God’s love and protection for
them and their response through fidelity to God’s law. It ends with the appointment of
Joshua as Moses’ successor.

6. HISTORICAL BOOKS (16 BOOKS) cover the period from the conquest of Canaan, the rule
of Israel’s kings to exile in Babylon and return from captivity to Canaan.
 7. WISDOM BOOKS contain the people of God’s reflection on their life as they struggled to
remain faithful to the covenant.
8. PROPHETIC BOOKS. The contents underscore the message of deliverance upon
conversion (“change of heart”).

THE CHRIST EVENT AND THE GOSPELS

CHRIST IS THE PERFECT REVELATION OF ALL THAT GOD WANTS US TO KNOW ABOUT
HIMSELF AND HIS PLAN OF SALVATION FOR HUMANKIND. THAT IS WHY HE IS THE
WORD OF GOD.

 THE GOSPELS ARE SUMMARIES OF THE “JESUS MEMORIES” OF THE EARLY

CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES REREAD FROM THE THEIR CONCRETE HISTORICAL
CONTEXTS.

 THE HEART OF ALL THE FOUR GOSPELS ARE THE HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS OF THE
DEATH- RESURRECTION OF JESUS THAT FORM THE CORE OF THE TEACHING OF
THE EARLY CHURCH.

The Gospel of Mark. It was a critical time for the Christians, Mark wanted them to
understand that in accepting Jesus in to their lives, disciples would meet with
oppositions and persecutions.

The Gospel of Matthew. Matthew’s Gospel as the Gospel of the church. It is centered in
the Kingdom of heaven and its outcome in the church. Matthew’s Jesus Emmanuel
(God-with-us) the Savior who continues His saving works in the Christian community.

The Gospel of Luke. Luke is a Syrian doctor had Greek background.

 The Gospel of Luke has several themes: universalism; gospel of compassion and
mercy; gospel of prayer; the gospel of the poor that makes Luke’s gospel very
relevant to our contemporary setting.
 Luke presents Jesus as Son of God, Lord and Prophet. Luke portrays Jesus as
being on a Journey.

 Luke’s Gospel is also a Marian Gospel as it gives more detail about Mary’s
participation in the plan of salvation with the account of the annunciation, the
visitation, the song of the magnificat, the presentation and finding of Jesus in the
temple.

The Gospel of John. It is the “Spiritual Gospel”, a product of long meditations that
serves a testimony to the truth about Jesus as witnessed by John and his Christian-
community.

KNOWING JESUS THROUGH THE GOSPELS HELPS US GROW SPIRITUALITY

ON CHURCH AND MISSION

Solidarity: A way to development and peace

 Solidarity is built on the recognition of the dignity of each member of the

human community.
1. Solidarity begins with the recognition of each member of the community/ society as a
human person with an invaluable dignity like oneself –whether this person is just a
domestic helper from the Third World in search for better wages abroad, a member of
an indigenous community, a construction worker in Saudi Arabia or the secretary
general of the United Nations, the president of the republic or the local government
head.
o “Solidarity helps us to see the other”
o Solidarity makes us neighbor.
2. Solidarity includes the affirmation that every human being- man, woman, child, adult, or
an old person regardless of social status, race or religion- has human rights which
cannot be exploited to the advantage of oneself.

 Solidarity is the Christian name for interdependence.

 Solidarity commits us to the common good.

o Filipinos have a weak sense of the common good.

Indicators:
 Family centeredness
 Individualism (kanya-kanya)
 Talangka mentality
 Competitiveness
 Patron-age system
 Regionalism

(all these are hindrances to the development of solidarity)

o Solidarity is effective and sustained compassion.

 Solidarity involves mutual sharing.

 Solidarity is a way to true development and peace.

o Peace and development cannot be the work of only the

government, of the church or a few committed persons or groups.
Unless there is a renewal of the spirit of solidarity among us
Filipinos, peace and development will continue elude us.

The Land is Ours

Material goods have a universal purpose according to God’s intention.

 1. God gave the earth for all people to use.
o God intended the earth and all it contains for the use of every human being.
o The basis for the principle that “material goods have universal purpose” is the
fact that the original source of all these foods is God who created both the earth
and the human persons to whom he gave dominion over the earth through their
work.
o Everyone has the right to possess a sufficient amount of the earth’s goods for
one’s self and one’s family.

Sustaining the Integrity of Creation

 A development model that disregards the moral dimension brings

with it serious destruction of the environment and of human
groups.
2. Consumerism makes people slaves of possession and of instant satisfaction.
 Restoring the integrity of creation calls for a “new vision” and a
“new hear”.
 True Marian devotion leads us to care for the integrity of creation.
 The Preservation of the integrity of creation calls for the
collaborative efforts of everyone: COMMUNITIES, GROUPS,
AGENCIES, AND NATIONS. There is a need to network with others in
the spirit of solidarity.

VALUING HUMAN LABOR

 Work is both a human and Christian value.

o Work enhances our dignity and fulfills us as human persons.
o It is the human person who gives value to the work being done.
o Present day conditions and mentalities threatens the primacy of persons
over their work.
o In and through our work, we grow as Christians.

CHRISTIAN INVOLVEMENT IN POLITICS

 The promotion of the common good is a responsibility of all in the

political community.
 The church is called upon to exercise a prophetic role in the world.

DISCIPLESHIP: THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

  Discipleship is the radical following Jesus in faith and love.
 To a disciple of Jesus is to allow him to influence and shape one’s
life.
1. Disciple follow a master and response to the master’s call. In Christian tradition, the
following of Jesus is the vocation of every Christian.
2. This implies one basic requirement:
a love for Jesus and single hearted attachment to him above every person and
everything.
3. Disciples proclaim in word, in action, and in with their whole lives Jesus as treasure and
grace, as the one unchangeable absolute of life.

 Single minded and radical following Jesus to share his:

o Values
o Lifestyle
o Mission
 Discipleship is a personal commitment to Christ and His mission of
proclaiming the Kingdom.
 Discipleship is a dynamic process. It does not happen all at once.
 Discipleship is often perceived as foolishness in eyes of the world.

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP.

 Discipleship is very demanding. It implies a love for Jesus that does

not count the cost (PCP II 278).
o “If you would follow me… sell all that you have. (Mt. 19:21)
 Discipleship demands a radical submission and surrender to God
and to his ways that are often mysterious and inscrutable.
 Absolute allegiance to the person of Jesus has a way of cutting the
disciple away from relationships that assure and comfort, and starts
the disciple on a life of radical solitude.
 The ultimate consequence of discipleship is the cross and all the
renunciation it implies.
 Jesus has transformed the experience and meaning of the cross.

VOCATION AND MISSION: CALLED… TO BE SENT

 Our God is a God who, through history, in changing times and

cultures, unceasingly calls men and women to a special role of
service to the church.
 God’s call, when it breaks through the human heart, is initially
experienced by the one called as an intrusion, and interruption of
the person’s well-ordered life.
o Mary was a very young girl, betrothed to Joseph, when the angel
appeared and announced that God had chosen her to bear His Son.
 o Jonah
o Moses
 God calls in order to send. He raises leaders from among His people,
and entrusts them with a mission for the liberation and the
preservation of the community.
o The Old Testament is full of men and women Yahweh called and sent.
 Esther
 Judith
 Jeremiah
 Sharing the mission of Jesus is not easy. It implies walking the same
road that Jesus walked, the road to Calvary. The proclamation of
the kingdom entails suffering and rejection.
 God knows the human heart. He understands our human limits and
trusts our generosity. He continues to call “flawed instruments,”
“vessel of clay” (2 Cor. 4:7) like us to participate in His salvific
mission through special ways.
 The community of those called to be disciples and shares in Christ’s
mission becomes a place where people experience God’s
unconditional and liberating love.