Bakas ng kagandahang-loob ng Diyos: A proposed inculturated approach to sacraments for religious education

• Main Author: Cacho, Rebecca G.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2004
• Subjects: Sacraments; Religious education > Teaching methods; God—Goodness; Educational Methods; Religious Education
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/50; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1049&context=etd_doctoral
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study presents an inculturated approach to the sacraments. The local framework, bakas ng kagandahang-loob ng Diyos and the vernacular were used in articulating a sacramental theology. It initiates an effort to make the sacraments better understood and appreciated by a group of young people, who may find the sacraments irrelevant or abstract at the beginning of this action research. It highlights the process of inculturation being employed by Dr. Jose de Mesa in doing theology. The step-by-step process of inculturation cited in this study guides anyone who may want to undertake similar endeavor of re-expressing the faith according to local context or culture of people in mutual dialogue with the Judaeo-Christian Tradition. In order to test the effectiveness of the modules, which resulted from the process of inculturation, an experimental group was chosen for field - testing. Both the empirical data taken from the mean scores of cognitive and affective tests administered and the verbatim responses of the students from the experimental group showed positive results. Comparing the mean scores of the experimental and the control group after the implementation of the modules indicate significant differences. The experimental group scored higher than the control group. The use of the vernacular and the local framework, bakas ng kagandahang-loob ng Diyos indicates that the inculturated sacramental theology was more intelligible and relevant to the experimental group when compared with the control group, which was instructed using Western framework and language. The local framework, bakas ng kagandahang-loob ng Diyos and the Filipino language have shown their potential in articulating the essence of the sacraments. Data from this study proves the richness and faithfulness of the local concept to the tradition of the Church. Likewise, the genius of the Filipino language could never be discounted in its capacity to articulate a sacramental theology, which was used for the religious education of the experimental group. The lack of confidence in the capacity of the vernacular to be the medium for religious education is being negated in this study. Thus, one may notice that to use the local language, symbol and framework would render more promising results. Theologies may become insipid or irrelevant if they fail to express the real sentiments and experiences of the people. To put aside the culture of the people is to lose an important means to communicate the Gospel. Vatican IIs thrust of aggiornamento challenges religious educators, catechists, missionaries, theologians and all those involve in the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus to use the cultures of the people in articulating the faith and its expressions. This study responds to such challenge as it articulated a sacramental theology rooted in the context of 30 selected Filipino college students of De La Salle-College of St. Benilde. Through the formulated modules, not only are the methods but also the content of our catechesis as religious educators are made possible. These instructional materials are available in the third chapter of the study. Since this study was only an initial project, others may find some other aspects or areas of study or validation of the framework: Bakas ng kagandahang-loob ng Diyos.