CUZ ePublications (Catholic University of Zimbabwe)
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God's Self-Revelation: The Examples of Moses and Paul
No full textGod has revealed himself through words and actions. Through His creation, He revealed Himself, through His prophets and finally by sending His Son Jesus Christ who is the fullness of revelation. God appeared to certain individuals and spoke to them. He selects a few, reveals certain mysteries to them and then relies on them to tell others. He has the power to reveal Himself to each person individually but in some cases, He chooses a few who in turn reach out to all humanity. The Constitution Dei Verbum (DV) of the Second Vatican Council describes Revelation as the act by which God reveals himself personally to man.1 The act of making the hidden known is referred to as revelation. This paper seeks to discuss how God revealed Himself to two particular personalities in the Bible. I will begin by defining God’s revelation. I will then go on to discuss the personalities He revealed Himself to, then finally I will see if there are any similarities between those two personalities
Symbolism of Wound in the Spiritual Canticle of St. John of the Cross
No full textAn accomplished Spanish poet, mystic and reformer of the 16th Century, John of the Cross utilized symbolism in his exploration ofSpiritual Life. Analysis of the works of John of the Cross reveals that poetry can be understood as being the primary mode through which he presents his doctrine of the processes characterizing the Spiritual Life. It has to be noted; that it was only after requests for explanations of the poetry that John of the Cross, wrote prose as explanatory notes to his poetry
Synodality as a Way of Being a Church Today: Implications, Challenges and Prospects
No full textSince its introduction, the Synod of Bishops has been a platform where a group of bishops gathers to deliberate on issues of concern to the Church and make recommendations for possible implementation by the Pope. In so doing, as Paul VI had desired, the Synod fathers have been of great help to the Pope in advising him on crucial matters of the Church. Even though not all the recommendations have been considered by the Pope, the mere exposure of the issues during the deliberations has opened up more debate among theologians, scholars, and the wider Church. This article examines the concept of synodality as a new way of being Church. Originating from a Synod, synodality is emerging as a model of a Church in which all members, both lay and clerics, are interested in and participate in the affairs that affect them as members of the Church and all take time to listen to one another. The article argues that with all its challenges, such a model is faithful to the idea of the Church as a community of baptized members and encourages all to feel being part of the Churc
Coronavirus: A possible vehicle of paradigm shift in human consciousness
No full text“The greatest souls are awakened out of suffering and the most impressive personalities endure many scars”.1 The great Paul wasawakened out of a massive blow, likewise, a Happy Easter Sunday came out of Good Friday. Or, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1: 46). In fact, “There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven…” (Ecc 3:1ff). There is a reason for everything! In the life cycle of the leaf, the leaf remains a leaf but with a different appearance in different seasons, and with a different mission at a particular given time. The question might be, is a leaf accepting the present moment, regardless of its status? Every stage can be more powerful if it accepts the present moment and also makes use of every stage of its life. I shall make use of this leaf image as the article continues. Now, the principal aim of this paper is a quest in trying to approach the reality of Covid-19 through a new prism. Thus, I think this deadly pandemic (Covid-19) can be a possible vehicle of a paradigm shift in human consciousness. To demonstrate this position, I have three points to present: (1) the deadly nature of Coronavirus particularly on the reality of death, (2) how this pandemic can be understood to be a vehicle of a paradigm shift, then (3) embracing the art of consciousness rather thancompulsiveness. Does it mean we have to fight through the bad days in order to earn the best of ourselves? I think so! Thus, this article seeks to shift one’s consciousness from compulsiveness in these challenging moments of the deadly virus. Covid-19 shall be understood as a deadly virus whose origin is still not clear and consciousness as a complete union of oneself with his/herintelligence. This shall be tackled in detail as the article unfold
Critical Issues in the book of Genesis
No full textGenesis comes from the Hebrew ‘Bereshit’ which is translated to mean the beginning of something or formation of something. Genesis is that biblical book that gives an account of how the world came into being and the origin of all species. The book of Genesis is one of the books in the Hebrew bible that has raised critical questions in the world of biblical scholarship. These questions have led various biblical scholars to investigate and study the book of Genesis in its depths. Biblical scholars are not in agreement about these issues. The following piece of discussion seeks to discuss the critical issues in the book of Genesis considering what different scholars mention about those issues. The article will discuss the following issues: authorship, date, creation stories, historicity, theological themes, women in Genesis, flood narratives, Genesis and the Ancient Near Eastern Traditions, inconsistencies, and many other issues that are going to follow
The Book of Job and the Pastoral Care of Covid 19 Patients
No full textThe book of Job is one of the books of wisdom literature. This book deals with various questions such as theodicy, the justice of the Lord, the suffering of a just person, and retribution. The book Job is very relevant in today’s world as it touches on contemporary problems. It is in light of this regard, this article intends to discuss the possible contributions of the book of Job to the pastoral care of sick for Covid -19 patients. The first part will give a summary of the major themes which are found in the book of Job. The second part will expose what is found in the book of Job which is useful in the pastoral care of those infected by the Coronavirus. Finally, a conclusion will be given
‘The Church is the Mother of Christians’: The Relevance of the Church in Contemporary Era
No full textNatural disasters come and go, and so do pandemics. The Church, amid it all, is not left unaffected. She is tried and tested during such times as is the faith of her members. How can the Church be a Mother to Christians, even in these times of adversity? The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that ‘it is in the Church, in communion with all the Baptized that the Christian fulfills his vocation.’1From the Church one receives the following; the Word of God with the teachings of the “Law of Christ,” the grace of the Sacraments to sustain one on the way, learns an example of holiness, recognizes its model and the source in the all-holy Virgin Mary, discern the authentic teaching of those who live it as well as discover in the spiritual tradition and long history of the saints who have gonebefore.2 This, in a nutshell, describes the Church as the Mother and what it does, teaching, sanctifying and developing a Christian. The Magisterium describes the Church as the “pillar and bulwark of truth.
Christian Faithful of St Peter's Parish and their Understanding of the Eucharist.
No full textThis chapter brings out views of the Christian faithful of St Peter's parish and their understanding of the Eucharist. It looks at how possible Christian families be helped to rediscover the effectiveness of the Eucharist in their live. Questionnaires that were distributed to guilds at St Peter's parish (Catholic Men’s Association (C.M.A), St Anne and Hosi Yedenga guilds, and the Catholic Youth Association, which includes Sacred Heart of Jesus and St Mary guilds), and to non-Catholics brought out different responses. They responded on how they see the Eucharistic form of life in their own perspectives, challenges they are facing in trying to live a more Eucharistic life. Moreover, how they connect the Eucharist and their everyday life in their milieu. And also views no-Catholics around St Peter’s community
The Concept of Person in Theology and its Application to The Holy Spirit
No full textAmong the most prominent thoughts in Christian Theology is the theme of “person”. Though this term is commonly used by many people, it does not mean one and the same thing. From the Theological point of view, the understanding of person is different. It has most often been used in ascribing it to the members of Holy Trinity, thus, God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. This paper aims at examining the concept person in Theology and its application on the Holy Spirit
Physicians of the Soul
No full text“The guiding of man, the most variable and manifold of creatures, seems to me in very deed to be the art of arts and science of sciences. Anyone may recognize this, by comparing the work of the physician of souls with the treatment of the body...”
With these words, Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, the 4th-century Cappadocian Church Father, begins a discourse on the unique role of the spiritual physician, whose practice has similarities with medical physicians, yet greatly surpasses the latter in depth and breadth. Meditating on this theme seems eminently fitting right now, given the situation the world finds itself in. After a year mired down by a pandemic, we have become obsessed with the care and safety of the body, so it is an opportune time to rebalance our perspective by being reminded of matters of the spirit, the lifeblood of the Body of Christ