CUZ ePublications (Catholic University of Zimbabwe)
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The Character of Tabitha in the Acts of The Apostles
No full textWhen reading the ancient Israel narratives exposed in the Bible, one could arguably assert that women have been always putting up a low profile, or rather, forced to do so by the Law. In Genesis 18: 6, the great forefather of the Israelites, Abraham, after having received three visitors, is seen running to Sarah his wife, ordering her to “quick, three measures of bran flour! Knead it and make bread.” Sarah the woman, is not conversing directly with the good visitors, but Abraham the man is. It could also be concluded that women were at most, reduced to running daily house chores. In the New Testament, we are however learning of a disciple, Tabitha, a woman, who rather swims against the tide of what was, and is expected of women. This paper will critically analyse Tabitha, extracting lessons that could be learnt from her. It will also expose how women are being seen in ancient Israel and how she is diverting from this perception
Catechesis: Deepening and Maturation of Faith
No full textIn this paper, we will: Justify the position that Catechesis is meant for the deepening and maturation of faith. To demonstrate our points, we will use the biological analogy of growth in humans and plants to signify the deepening and maturation of faith through catechesis. To achieve our goal, we will illustrate maturation and deepening of faith from the sacramental view; maturity in understanding and experience of Jesus as the core of catechesis; and then a call to conversion as a sign of the vivid realisation of faith in the newly born. Finally, we will indicate through an evaluation and conclusion the whole sense of the paper on maturity as bearing fruits of faith like love, peace, and a life of prayer
Editorial
No full textThe previous issue of Dare, ‘Faith Seeking Understanding’, provided a collection of theological reflections which served the purpose of deepening faith, via a clear comprehension of the Christian faith. Nevertheless, while deliberating and reflecting the direction this edition should take, the Editorial Board of Dare would not be indifferent to the impact and effects of the novel COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters in our midst. In his encyclical, Fratelli Tutti – a letter on Fraternity and Social Friendship, the Holy Father, Pope Francis begins by stating that Saint Francis of Assis “felt himself a brother to the sun, the sea and the wind, yet he knew that he was even closer to those of his own flesh” (2). The worldwide tragedy, COVID-19 pandemic has by showing no exclusivity momentarily revived the fundamental value that we are really a global community (32). Likewise, other disasters like Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, floods, landslides, among other calamities awakened us from slumber to realise our need and concern for the other and the environment. Thus, the pandemic and calamities broke all racial, tribal, cultural, economic, social, and religious barriers and demarcations. They revealed once more the ineluctable and critical awareness to live in harmony with each other and our environment. As such, inspired by the awareness that we are a global community, this year’s edition, Continuity and Novelty Amidst Challenges: COVID-19 and Natural Disasters seek to reflect deeper on the impact and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters on human lives, faith, and evangelization as Christians. Hence, different contributors to this present edition confirm that the presence of the pandemic in our midst has indubitably taught and still calls humanity to adopt new styles of life and new means of evangelization
The impact of Covid-19 on the family, socio-cultural life and the transformation of spiritual life
No full textWhen God created everything, He said “this is good” and indeed all that He created was good. (Genesis 1 vs 31) The man was put in charge of all these good creatures to keep them and take care of everything. When we read through the scriptures and come across these verses in the Book of Genesis, someone is tempted to ask, are the challenges we face today the creation of the same God who created wonderful and good things? One may ask, are these pandemics the good creations of God? Some may ask, where is God in all these pandemics? This is a million-dollar question. Life is made up of a mixture of both good and bad things, happy and sad moments, and ups and downs, this is the journey of life. God is present in all these situations and He invites us to see Him in the calamities weencounter in our day-to-day lives. In this paper, I am going to put my focus on the Covid 19 pandemic, how it has affected the world, and how people are going through their lives faced with this pandemic
Moral Recommendations on How to Curb Abortion Practices in Thyolo
No full textThe paper discusses ways of curbing abortion practices in Thyolo District in Malawi. it achieves this by giving proposals and moral recommendations that may help curb abortion in Thyolo. It points out that the Church, government and society should play a big role in protecting the life of unborn babies. Therefore, different organs in ought to play a role in curbing abortion and bringing it to an end eventually. One thing to note is that elimination of abortion cannot be achieved unless the causes that induce women to seek abortion are addressed
The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Religious Beliefs and Practices in Matabeleland South Province, Zimbabwe.
No full textThe first cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported in China in December 2019. Since then, the disease has spread fast at international levels, Zimbabwe included. Due to the fast spread of the disease in terms of casualties and geographic coverage, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus pandemic a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020 and a pandemic on March 11, 2020. In Zimbabwe the first COVID-19 case was reported on 21 March in the resort town of Victoria Falls. The country enforced lockdowns as one of the public health response measures. The main purpose of the study is to critique the impact of COVID-19 on religious beliefs and practices of Christians and African Indigenous Religions (AIRs) adherents in Matabeleland South Province. The qualitative approach was employed using the descriptive case study design.Purposive sampling method was used to select thirty (30) research participants. Online open-ended questionnaires and telephone interviews were the main tools. The theoretical framework of this study was guided by Ninian Smart’s seven dimensions of religions. The findings were that the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected the religious beliefs and practices of the Christians and AIRs adherents in Matabeleland South. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the cancellation of worship service gatherings, ceremonies and festivals. Many churches have resorted to online services. Some people even questioned the existence and supremacy of the Christian and AIRs Supreme Being. A majority of people began to use African Traditional medicines and methods on top of Western medicines to serve themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic. On a positive note, some Christians and AIRs adherents have been drawn nearer to God. The study concluded that COVID-19 has impacted negatively and positively on the religious beliefs and practices of the Matabeleland South populace. The study recommends that the Zimbabwean government should work together with the international community to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. There should be more broadcasts online of church sermons and religious services through social media platforms. The commuities should be educated on the importance of maintaining nature and ecological balance since COVID-19 is alleged to have originated from wild animals
African Traditional Religion(s) and Inter-religious Dialogue Sheasby Gondo
No full textDialogue is from the Greek words dia and logos. These words can translate to having a conversation or talking to each other. The study of interreligious dialogue is an attempt to engage for better understanding and cooperation. It is “primarily a conversation between believers of different faiths or religious traditions”.1 It aims at assessing the barriers to communication between religious groups. More precisely, it is a means by which different parties can bypass these barriers. Notably, African Traditional Religion (ATR) is a segment that deserves an opportunity for dialogue with other religions. ATR is an indigenous response to the Supreme Being and his proxies. Considering the significant success of missionary activities in their deliberate and systematic effort to wipe out ATR. It is salient that Christianity re-engages to promote mutual respect. This article shall point out ways in which interreligious dialogue canassist one in forming informed and better relations with ATR. It shall point out and assess some negative attitudes towards ATR and how their elimination results in good dialogue
Shona ecology: A viable alternative?
No full textTraditionally, at least in the West, ethics was exclusively concerned with human action in relation to other business beings and has generally considered non-human creatures to be mere means to human ends, not ends in themselves. This view was recently challenged and this formed the primary goal of environmental ethics. It seeks to rethink moral philosophy and reformulate ethical theory so that it may include direct moral consideration of non-human creatures. This article seeks to show that business is inextricably tied to environmental issues. It will critically analyse some moral dilemmas in environmental responsibility byforwarding three distinct moral theories concerning the environment. A fourth “theory,” Shona ecology, shall be considered to see whether it can be a viable alternative
Sacred Liturgy and Popular Piety
No full textIt is worth noting that Sacred Liturgy and Popular Piety involves worship and expression of Christian faith but not all activities which have such characteristics qualify to be Sacred Liturgy. Hence, it is always a problem among many to make a distinction between Sacred Liturgy and Popular Piety or Devotions. To this end, this paper aims to show the distinction between Sacred Liturgy and Popular Piety. Again, in this paper, we will explain how Sacred Liturgy and Popular Piety are related. In order to achieve this, we shall start by giving the background of Sacred Liturgy. Further, explain what Sacred Liturgy and Popular Piety are at length. Then, we will explain how these two are related
Catechesis And Evangelization
No full textThe Church exists to evangelize. After his resurrection, Jesus mandated his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19). Not only that but Jesus also sent the eleven to teach the people to observe whatever he had commanded them. Two aspects which are outstanding from the above reference are: ‘to make disciples’ and ‘to teach’. We can simply say to teach is the catechesis and to make disciples is evangelization. The Church consequently took this mandate from Christ, thus it became her vision and mission in the world. It is in this context therefore that this essay is focussing on the place of catechesis in evangelization. The main thrust here is to see the role played by catechesis in the whole work of spreading the gospel or the relationship which exist between the two. To make this possible this paper will begin by elaborating the key terms, this will be followed by various views from the Church teachings on the subject matter