Note: I have to revise, shorten and at the same time augment the article "An Encounter" for technical and clerical purposes. I hope this major revision would make the blog articulated with the essay's theme. I need to delete the first post, Thank You!
Stepping into one of the first platforms of a brand new life doesn’t come easy to me. Retiring from the high school furor and popularity and embracing the audacious challenge of the college life is like making an intrepid economic decision to rescue the national frugality. Honestly, I’m a little bit repugnant of knowing that my glorious high school days were gone. But, my metamorphosis is just starting; the best thing to do was to hit tenaciously, the superficial demand of the new chapter of life.
My real concern, aside from being flabbergasted with the walls of the University, is about the unusual subject engraved on my subjects list; Theology. At first, I’m rest assured that it would be just another lightweight academic unit since I’m a total believer because I have roots of a Catholic and was raised a Catholic. But, the perplexity about the subject matter of Theology and how could it help me as a freshman Accountancy student are worth answering. My troubled mind brought me in front of the popular Webster’s Dictionary to find out what does Theology mean. As it said, theology is the science which studies God and all that relates to him, including religion and morals. The definition enthralled my wholeness to give focus on the subject because it is the first time that I’ve heard a science that studies the Divine Creator. It also tends to focus on the interaction between God and the people (since we are all related to Him).
I was so excited to enter my ever-first Theology class. Our professor is laudable and a resolute type of person. My first time with this Theology had gone into ordinary. It is not until the second week that I have learned the true aim of the subject. Our professor challenged the class by portraying the role of an atheist. We all know that an atheist is a person that denies God and his existence. As a challenge, we must provide a logical and rational answer to his question if God really exists. Gosh! For the sixteen years of my subsistence, it is the first time that I was dumbfounded and silenced on my seat. I can’t talk and I can’t eventually construct the best sentence for my “supposed-to-be” answer. I’ve found out the paucity of producing the correct answers not only on my part but also to the part of my astonished classmates.
That encounter became the greatest “eye-opening” experience of my youth. I have learned the innate reason why I was silenced through the aid of reading the article that our professor gave to the class after the challenge---the result is no more and no less than my personal faith and conviction towards God. The class discussion had flogged my devotion as a Catholic denizen especially on the part when our professor again created a paradigm where we could reflect the incessant arrogance of the society towards the real teachings of the Church. It is a punitive fact to perceive that our faith is actually diminished if not annihilated by the social realities made by mankind.
As I have learned, we are only Catholics because of the ubiquitous reason---our parents are also Catholics. When we do religious deeds such as going to Church, practicing the sign of the cross, performing rituals and traditions of the established Church and hearing the Gospel, do we really feel the warmth and presence of God? We do these orthodox things not because we are devoted and have faith with it but because we are told to do so or we have already assumed these things to be mere indisputable social fact. We do not have faith in God but we do have faith in this inherited orthodox.
There are so many religious communities nowadays that encroaches God’s divine words and teachings. We have heard some but few were listened. Isn’t it confusing if we inculcate those preaching that are anxious? A speck of our social cancer is that we tend to do some things in reluctance. People often, decide and make choices without thinking any restraint and guilt on those actions. The worst scenario on our reluctance was its evidence on our religious activities. We tend to do them but we are not sincere on what are we doing and we don’t know why we are doing it.
It is also a disappointment upon learning that what we have utilized and practiced in religion for the course of centuries is just an exorbitant effort in pursuing the veritable meaning of religion and faith. On this part, the denial of God and his existence emerged on the society as the branded product of humans’ blasphemous ingenuity and inquiry that is commonly juxtaposed with the lack of appreciation on God and His words. This is more evident on the First World Countries.
We can’t find any obscurity when we got rational answers to our sometimes clairvoyant questions. The answers that are produced by science and technology are always paralleled with our own faith to God. What do we have in our minds is the cliché to see is to believe and the conflict of choosing between scientific explanations and Godly-principled facts that can answer our indirect inquiries. By these things we are again extending the big gap of faith into our lives.
What is the difference of the time we spent in text messaging and the time we spent communicating to God? Maybe we are again silenced by guilt. How could you intensify or find your faith and devotion to God when you attend the Church Mass just because you want to throw indulgence, wear your prettiest clothes and just make some naughty introspection to other Church-goers. It is not reasonable to see also the Church being thundered by tremendous rendezvous appointments made specifically by the trends of youth.
As I insist my insights with my pen I can’t expunge the determination of being more receptive in terms of integrating the gap between faith and ephemeral life. Studying theology, based on the personal output, is like an act of colluding in order to rescue a kidnapped celebrity. This celebrity is indeed our faith; our faith that needs righteous mitigation, our faith that pursue understanding and our faith that needs a formidable if not infallible beacon that can lead us into our own appreciation and devotion to life and to God. Theology is the beacon.
Life is very short and we are responsible for taking care of it. What would happen if we won’t be cognizant of essential things that God gave us? Some people would probably go again into researches and mathematical formulas to decrypt the answer. But, I believe some would go into pursuing the personal faith in order to find the best and fitting answer for it. In studying Theology I would expect that my life and my faith would be shaken and will move beyond my comfort zone. But I want my primordial faith to be articulated and be developed into maturity. I would talk to Him and ask Him for strength to survive this gigantic reality check on my life.
I believe that I could do prove it as I see myself sitting a new day for my Theology class. You! What would you do and where would you go?
My real concern, aside from being flabbergasted with the walls of the University, is about the unusual subject engraved on my subjects list; Theology. At first, I’m rest assured that it would be just another lightweight academic unit since I’m a total believer because I have roots of a Catholic and was raised a Catholic. But, the perplexity about the subject matter of Theology and how could it help me as a freshman Accountancy student are worth answering. My troubled mind brought me in front of the popular Webster’s Dictionary to find out what does Theology mean. As it said, theology is the science which studies God and all that relates to him, including religion and morals. The definition enthralled my wholeness to give focus on the subject because it is the first time that I’ve heard a science that studies the Divine Creator. It also tends to focus on the interaction between God and the people (since we are all related to Him).
I was so excited to enter my ever-first Theology class. Our professor is laudable and a resolute type of person. My first time with this Theology had gone into ordinary. It is not until the second week that I have learned the true aim of the subject. Our professor challenged the class by portraying the role of an atheist. We all know that an atheist is a person that denies God and his existence. As a challenge, we must provide a logical and rational answer to his question if God really exists. Gosh! For the sixteen years of my subsistence, it is the first time that I was dumbfounded and silenced on my seat. I can’t talk and I can’t eventually construct the best sentence for my “supposed-to-be” answer. I’ve found out the paucity of producing the correct answers not only on my part but also to the part of my astonished classmates.
That encounter became the greatest “eye-opening” experience of my youth. I have learned the innate reason why I was silenced through the aid of reading the article that our professor gave to the class after the challenge---the result is no more and no less than my personal faith and conviction towards God. The class discussion had flogged my devotion as a Catholic denizen especially on the part when our professor again created a paradigm where we could reflect the incessant arrogance of the society towards the real teachings of the Church. It is a punitive fact to perceive that our faith is actually diminished if not annihilated by the social realities made by mankind.
As I have learned, we are only Catholics because of the ubiquitous reason---our parents are also Catholics. When we do religious deeds such as going to Church, practicing the sign of the cross, performing rituals and traditions of the established Church and hearing the Gospel, do we really feel the warmth and presence of God? We do these orthodox things not because we are devoted and have faith with it but because we are told to do so or we have already assumed these things to be mere indisputable social fact. We do not have faith in God but we do have faith in this inherited orthodox.
There are so many religious communities nowadays that encroaches God’s divine words and teachings. We have heard some but few were listened. Isn’t it confusing if we inculcate those preaching that are anxious? A speck of our social cancer is that we tend to do some things in reluctance. People often, decide and make choices without thinking any restraint and guilt on those actions. The worst scenario on our reluctance was its evidence on our religious activities. We tend to do them but we are not sincere on what are we doing and we don’t know why we are doing it.
It is also a disappointment upon learning that what we have utilized and practiced in religion for the course of centuries is just an exorbitant effort in pursuing the veritable meaning of religion and faith. On this part, the denial of God and his existence emerged on the society as the branded product of humans’ blasphemous ingenuity and inquiry that is commonly juxtaposed with the lack of appreciation on God and His words. This is more evident on the First World Countries.
We can’t find any obscurity when we got rational answers to our sometimes clairvoyant questions. The answers that are produced by science and technology are always paralleled with our own faith to God. What do we have in our minds is the cliché to see is to believe and the conflict of choosing between scientific explanations and Godly-principled facts that can answer our indirect inquiries. By these things we are again extending the big gap of faith into our lives.
What is the difference of the time we spent in text messaging and the time we spent communicating to God? Maybe we are again silenced by guilt. How could you intensify or find your faith and devotion to God when you attend the Church Mass just because you want to throw indulgence, wear your prettiest clothes and just make some naughty introspection to other Church-goers. It is not reasonable to see also the Church being thundered by tremendous rendezvous appointments made specifically by the trends of youth.
As I insist my insights with my pen I can’t expunge the determination of being more receptive in terms of integrating the gap between faith and ephemeral life. Studying theology, based on the personal output, is like an act of colluding in order to rescue a kidnapped celebrity. This celebrity is indeed our faith; our faith that needs righteous mitigation, our faith that pursue understanding and our faith that needs a formidable if not infallible beacon that can lead us into our own appreciation and devotion to life and to God. Theology is the beacon.
Life is very short and we are responsible for taking care of it. What would happen if we won’t be cognizant of essential things that God gave us? Some people would probably go again into researches and mathematical formulas to decrypt the answer. But, I believe some would go into pursuing the personal faith in order to find the best and fitting answer for it. In studying Theology I would expect that my life and my faith would be shaken and will move beyond my comfort zone. But I want my primordial faith to be articulated and be developed into maturity. I would talk to Him and ask Him for strength to survive this gigantic reality check on my life.
I believe that I could do prove it as I see myself sitting a new day for my Theology class. You! What would you do and where would you go?
