Mayéutica

The article discusses how the artistic endeavor in the Island of Negros in the Philippines, is providing a platform in the creation of Christian images that empowers the local struggles of local Christian communities. It presents how the art community becomes part of the cultural dimension of Christology towards involvement in the community narrative of oppression. These visual artists, in collective artistic groups or as individuals engaged in the contextual reading of the lived struggle of the communities, and translating, as well as integrating the images into a socially-relevant faith imagery.

The article addresses the theme of priesthood as communio and confessio, showing first of all how the priest must make his life a prolonged Eucharist by becoming not only the minister of the Eucharist, but also how his life must be transformed into bread broken and shared for his brothers and sisters. On the other hand, the union of the priest with the cross of Christ is highlighted, and the Augustinian image of the olive oil mill and the commitment to bear good fruit for God is developed. Following the text of Conf. 10:39, the importance of the priest living in union with Christ is emphasized. Communion implies a participation in the cross of Christ and the four dimensions of the cross of Christ according to St. Augustine and its implications in the priestly life are pointed out. The importance of the priest as an agent of communion and unity within the Church is also highlighted. All these ideas are illustrated with the figures of some of the most famous priests of universal literature.

The study of the subject “hour” in the Johannine Epistles, allows us to deepen into pericope content, in its historical context and in the diachronic and dynamic relation with other texts that include the subject “hour” in the Johannine corpus.

The goal is this article is to put together Logotherapy and Existential Analysis, the Theory of Viktor Frankl in the formative practice of the Seminaries and Houses of Formation of Religious Life in the Roman Catholic Church. It brings to the front a bibliographical summary of the aforementioned Theory that could be applied in the Formative Counselling in the Seminaries and Houses of Formation for the Religious Life. It is important to have in mind our Context and the importance of a non reductionist Anthropology. Affirming the importance of the Psychology of the Heights that help us to form the Human Being in a complete way and not in a fragmented one.

Socrates’ method can be compared with that of Christ, since both often answer the questions of their interlocutors with another question, which the article calls a counter-question. The article first examines the literature on questions in the New Testament, particularly in the Gospels, and focuses on the works of Douglas Estes, Paul Elbert, Christof Müller and Martin Leutzsch. It then focuses on the counter-questions that Christ asks in Luke’s Gospel, in order to highlight how Christ wants his interlocutors to participate in a pedagogical dynamic in the dialogue they establish with him by means of their own questions.

The De Genesi ad litteram constitutes one of the mature works of Augustine, and in spite of the fact that for many years it has remained forgotten, it deserves a place of honor among what are considered to be the great Augustinian works. The present article highlights creation as the work of the Trinity, Augustine’s interpretation of the text of Wis 11:22 in Book IV of De Genesi ad litteram, the relationship between the spiritual sense of Scripture and ecology, the fact that animals are simply creatures, the characteristics of animals that Augustine exemplifies with the fish of Bulla Reggia, the relationship between animals and the four elements, the question of spontaneous generation, the relationship that animals have with the ordo of creation, the mystery of life, the presentation of the seminal reasons or eternal reasons, the superiority of man over other creatures, the mission of the human being to care for and cultivate the world created by God.

In this article the so-called “Song of Hanna” (1Sam 2: 6-10) is approached to propose a new reading of it, making a review of its main variants, particularly with regard to vv. 6 to 8. The sources which are contrasted are TM, LXX, the Vorlage of the LXX and 4Qsam, among others. The current state of the studies related to the text of 1 Sam 2: 6-10, and the “Song of Hanna” is also addressed, to propose a synthesis of the ideas presented in the studies, in order to make a presentation of the way in which the text of 1Sam 2: 6-10 was inserted in its context.

The article considers the configuration of the ordained minister with Christ, starting first from the Old Testament figures that St. Augustine highlights (Melchizedek, Aaron, Joshua) as well as the theological consequences that he draws from these figures in relation to the priesthood. Subsequently, the article addresses the internal and external configuration that the ordained minister must have with Christ, the only Priest. In relation to the internal configuration, the importance of prayer and the configuration of the ordained minister with the feelings of Christ are highlighted, so that he can become an instrument of God’s mercy. The configuration of the ordained minister to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is also discussed, as well as the patience and trust that every ordained minister must have in God. The external elements of the configuration of the ordained minister to Christ are also highlighted, starting from the lifestyle of Christ, dedicated only to the proclamation of the kingdom, the importance of the mission and the joy in the exercise of the pastoral ministry.

The exegesis of the patriarchs has a rich history. Not only has the history of Abraham been widely explained in Judaism, Early Christianity and Islam, so have the other two patriarchs, Isaac and Jacob. 1 The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are explained in Jewish exegetical tradition by Philo of Alexandria as three that belong together. 2 In his works Philo treats these three patriarchs as an important triad that can be explained on different levels. 3 The question I want to ask here is whether this triad is also adopted in the same way in Christian exegesis, especially when it comes to the typology of the individual persons. 4 The allegorical and typological interpretations of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Philo do seem to be adopted in part in Early Christian exegesis. Ambrose clearly shows this in his treatises on the patriarchs. On the other hand, attention to the triad, which is so important to Philo, seems to fade into the background on behalf of a double typology, especially the typology of the Divine persons.

This paper presents the overview of the State-Religion relations in the Philippines, identifying the contributions and participatory roles of the churches or religious bodies in the society. It also deals with the historical Constitutional framework that built the country as a nation, in the light of recognizing the Church-State separation of responsibilities. It also illustrates the contextual analysis and assessment of the fragility of the current relationship between the State and Religion. Finally, it deals with the distinct functions that both State and Religion have to protect the common good.

St. Augustine, through his most recognized philosophical writings, has elaborated a thesis where he makes known the concept, function and laws of the sensitive memory as the indispensable faculty for the intellectual and personal development. The main philosophical works of the Christian author “Confessions” and “Of the Trinity” seek to meditate and deepen the phenomenon of memory in order to unravel the faculty of remembering present in human beings and animals. In his confessions, St. Augustine shapes the events that have marked his life before, during and after his conversion to Christianity, where he manifests the emotions, causes and consequences. In psychology, memory is part of his fields of study in order to explain, through the scientific method, the process of memory and its relationship with behavioral and psychic phenomena of man. The first authors of psychology, have proposed various theories and schemes that allow to observe and give a diagnosis to the behaviors that the person manifests, to these phenomena is involved the sensitive memory as responsible for such attitudes. St. Augustine has taken the first steps on the study of the sensitive memory from the rational, speculative and Christian scope; therefore, it becomes one of the great contributions on the study of the nemetic phenomenon and to be considered as the father of psychology.

The Confessions of Augustine can be read as a summary and presentation of the Saint’s past life, but the whole book is a book in the present, since Augustine indicates the events he has had to face, the events in the past of his life, but from the reflective today at the moment of writing. Beyond narrating experienced situations, the Confessions are a permanent self-reflection of what he remembers, of what he is, of what he expects, but all in a present, describing concrete things, trying to find the reason why they are remembered and why they caused an impact on his person. A first step is to say what happened, then try to find out why it happened that way, as well as how you can say what happened. It is a confession with transcendence, to educate, to prevent, to remember, to reach the Truth, which is always present.

This paper aims to elucidate the emphatic demand of the Listening Pastoral inside the Catholic Church. The Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis, dreams with a clergy with a greater capacity to handle the Christian community in its most relevant urgencies, such as youth accompaniment, specially an active listening made with attentive ears. From this base the article proposes a new method for accompaniment: a pastoral of listening according to the Humanistic Integrative Counseling model. However, the Listening Pastoral doesn’t have agents with the required formation, therefore, beyond the technique, it is important the attitudes of the professional, who welcomes the marginalized and weakened. At the end of the article a list of attitudes will be presented having in mind a pastoral accompaniment.

The article has as point of departure the idea that for Saint Augustine biological life is intimately linked with spiritual life; moreover, biological life itself is nothing but a metaphor of the real life. It is also presented that for Saint Augustine life is ultimately a Christological matter. The basic Augustinian anthropological idea of the human being as mendicus Dei is also developed, starting from the text of 1 Cor 4, 7, and developing the image of the human being as vilicus, as a simple administrator of God’s gifts. On the other hand, the issue of abortion is addressed according to the Augustinian ideas, to highlight that despite the fact that in the time of Saint Augustine a subtle distinction was made between a formed and an unformed embryo, according to the number of days of gestation, following the Aristotelian theories illuminated by the text of Ex 21, 22-23, according to the LXX, Saint Augustine opposes abortion in all cases, considering it a homicide, because whoever will become a person, is already so in the very womb of their mother. Three sources of human dignity according to Saint Augustine are also presented. In the first place, the fact that the human being has been created in the image and likeness of the Triune God. Second, the fact of Christ’s incarnation and redemption, presenting the Augustinian argument that the price of each man is none other than the blood of Christ. A third Augustinian argument is also presented, which is his condition as a son of God through the sacrament of baptism. It also presents the point of view of Saint Augustine on the death penalty, specifically in relation to the circumcelliones and the ep. 133 and the slave traders (mangones) and ep. 10*.