VOCATION-Latin word vocare meaning to call

Who is calling? God

Who is being called? YOU
What is the calling about? How you can serve
God
4 types of vocation

Priesthood
Religious life
Marriage
Singe Blessedness

Human situations in a context

(discernment/reason)
SPIRITUALITY
refers to any religious or ethical value that is
concretized as an attitude of spirit from
which ones action flows
Faith without good works is dead.
Spirituality is not for the older people only.
Practice of devotion should be devoted to
each person according to his/her duties and
occupation.

Elements of a call

Humans cooperation some refused to

answer their calling;
Gods Divine Plan

From married priesthood: Possible if you

dont have any dependents
From priesthood married: Pope needs to
dispense you first (dispensation)
Gods Call-Gods Initiative
o God sees not just our situation but also
that of the communities around us.
Family (congregation) is your community
o Hence, donation to a priest is equivalent to
a donation to his community(to all other
priests)
o Priests become servants of the Lord. Vows
chastity, poverty and obedience.
o They are singled out from their community
and then sent back to help them.

Poverty
Sufferings
Pains of the innocent children-defenseless
Hopeless
We are like a sheep without shepherd
Violence and injustices
The last, lost and least

Every profession or career is a vocation.

Tagle- New missionaries of Church are OFWs.
Mere actions reflect that you are an evangelist
of good.

Images of Vocation
Vocation is self-giving; not selfless
In general
o Call to life
o Christian Discipleship

Types of Spirituality
Zen Spirituality ( monks; seclusion)
o Enlightenment through meditation and
insight
Buddhism Spirituality
o Based on the teachings of Buddha
o Enlightenment by suppressing worldly
desires
Jewish Spirituality
o Judaism (ancient Hebrews and Jews)
Muslim Spirituality
o Islam; promotes peace
Christian Spirituality
o Jesus Christ sent by God
Elements of Spirituality
1. Prayer
o Lifting up of our heart and mind to God
o Involves speaking, listening and waiting to
God
o Conversation with God
o 2 process

Gods actions

Our participation
o Kinds of Prayer

Vocal Prayer act of expressing the

thoughts and concerns of our hearts
through words

Mental Prayer- use of mind and

imagination to unite ourselves with God
(meditation and examination)

Contemplation- prayer of loving

attentiveness to Gods mysterious
presence; more quiet and affective;
prayer of the heart; longer process than
mental prayer (usually for days)


Liturgical Prayer-prayer of Church
gathered in worship and praise God;
Most important- Mass or The Eucharist;
liturgy of the hours or brevity; prayer
meeting
2. Sacrificial/Spiritual Discipline
o Sacrifice is always a part of Authentic
Christian Spirituality
o Modern times: negative, hassle, hindrance
opponent of joy and happiness
o This leads us to become good and holy.
o Sacrifice comes from

Sacra-holy/sacred

Facere- to do or actions
o Aceticism (Greek)

Askesis- self denying way of life

o

Difference Kinds of Spiritual Discipline

Fasting- not to eat food for a day or

more; practiced as a way of uniting
oneself with the suffering Jesus;
observed during Ash Wed or Good Friday
Pope Paul VI reduced fasting to
1 hour before the Holy
Communion (6 hours before)
during 2nd Vatican Council

Abstinence
Refraining from eating meat

Solitude, Retreat and Recollection

Solitude find a place and time
to be alone before God (symbol
Desert)
Recollection 1 to 2 days
Retreat-extended version

Good Works
Parable of Good Samaritan
Need not be exaggerately
publicized or promoted.

FAMILY STRUCTURES AND CLASSIFICATION

According to functionalist George Murdock a

family is defined as a social group
characterized by common residence,
economic co-operation and reproduction. It
includes adults of both sexes, at least two of
whom maintain a socially approved sexual
relationship and one or more children, own or
adopted of the sexually co-habiting adults.

There are various types of family that exist in

todays society, some of the more common
structures include :
The Nuclear Family : this usually consists
of two generations of family, parents and
their own or adopted children residing in the
same household.
The Extended Family : This is also known
as the three generation family. Consisting of
grandparents, their children and their
grandchildren.
Single Parent Family : This type of family
is also known as the Lone Parent Family. It
consists of one parent and a child or
children residing in one household.
Reconstituted Family : This is a family
where one or more parents have been
married previously and they bring with them
children from their previous marriage(s).
This introduces various combinations of
step-father, step-mother etc.
Symmetrical Family : This family is one in
which the roles of the husband and wife or
of co-habiting partners have become more
alike or equal.
Empty Nest Family : In this family, the
children have moved out of the home and
the parents reside together.
Cereal Packet Family : This type of family
is usually flouted as the ideal family type,
and as such is usually displayed on cereal
packets.

JUDEO-CHRISTIAN TRADITION MARRIAGE

CONTEXT OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES
FORMS OF MARRIAGE
1. Monogamy
marriage between one man and one
woman.
2. Polygamy or plural marriage
has three forms:
a) Polygyny- one husband and two or more
wives
b) Polyandry- one wife and two or more
husbands
c) Group marriage- two or more husbands
and two or more wives.

NORMS OF MARRIAGE ON THE SELECTION OF

POTENTIAL MARRIAGE PARTNERS
1. Endogamy-is a rule that requires a person
to marry someone from within his or her
own grouptribe, nationality, religion, race
community, or any other social grouping.
2. Exogamy-is a rule that requires a person to
marry someone from outside his her own
group.
3. Sororate-prescribes that a widower marry
the sister or nearest kin of the deceased
wife.
4. Levirate-prescribes that widows marry the
brother or nearest kin of the deceased
husband.
(e.g. Loving Leah)
NATURE AND DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE
Humankinds most basic and oldest
social unit is the family. It is a social
institution primarily established by society to
ensure its continuity and to regulate the
sexual behavior of its members.
The family is the primary group where the
child is initially socialized and initiated in the
ways of life of his group. The family provides
the childs social, psychological, and
emotional needs warmth, intimacy,
affection, love, nurturance, care and security.
Marriage is another human construction to
insure the continuity of the family and the
eventual perpetuation of the human specie.
The New Family Code of the Philippines,
which became effective on August 3,1998,
defines Marriage as a special contract of
permanent union between a man and a
woman entered into in accordance with law
for the establishment of conjugal and the
family life.
Light and Keller (1985)
defines marriage as a socially recognized
union between two or more individuals that
typically involves sexual and economic
rights and duties.
They further elucidated their view of
marriage.
Marriage is a business partnership as
much as a romantic fairytale; it involves
compromises, division of labor,

specialization, financial arrangement, and

communication systems.

Aspects of Marriage:
First, the legal point of view
posits that marriage is a contract.
Second, religious point of view
posits that marriage is sacred, in fact a
sacrament.
Marriage as Sacred

A RITE is a formal, prescribed act in a

religious observance. Within the rite there
are certain rituals.
RELIGIOUS RITES are
performed/undertaken by believers to :
CELEBRATE
SYMBOLISE
MAKE PRESENT THEIR CENTRAL
BELIEFS

RELIGIOUS RITES
Are a method by which members of a religious
community celebrate what is important in their
lives and is an important medium for bringing
the individual and the group into contact with
the transcendent.
The effect of religious rites is to give meaning to
the events of life and place them in the context
of the groups beliefs. In this way they touch that
which is most important to group identity and
inspire us towards an ideal.

Unity in marriage will only happen if God is at

the center of the marriage and as the husband
and wife move closer to God, they will move
closer to one another.

Marriage in the Sacred Writings

Marriage imagery is used over and over in the

scriptures to help us understand Gods loving
plan for creation.
The Bible begins with the story of the creation
of man and woman as partners made in the
image of God and it concludes with the wedding
feast of the Lamb in the book of Revelation
(19:5-8)

It is in human marriage that we get a glimpse of

the tremendous love which Christ has for the
Church and it is in human marriage and family
life that we have a foretaste of the intimate
communion and tremendous joy that will be
ours in heaven.
Patricia Morrison Driedger, 2001, Our
Sacramental Life, page 208

Saint Paul

Regards marriage as a sacred commitment. He

likens the love between husband and wife to the
love Christ has for his Church and he calls upon
them to love one another as they would love
themselves
Paul stresses the ethic of faithfulness in marriage.
Marriage is to be honoured by all, and husbands
and wives must be faithful to each other. God will
judge those who are immoral and those who
commit adultery. (Hebrews 13:4)

The Christian rite of marriage stresses that marriage is a life long commitment.
This belief is taken directly from the scriptures.
It is made manifest in the recitation of the marriage vows, and sometimes in the readings chosen
by the couple and in the homily given by the priest or minister.
The meaning and
Mark 10:6
In the beginning, at the time of creation,
purpose of marriage
God made them male and female as the
Scripture says.
Jesus refers to the
Mark 10:7-8
And for this reason a man will leave his
way God has made
father and mother and unite with his wife,
human beings
and the two will become one.
The purpose of
marriage as preached
by Paul

Ephesians 5:31

Jesus explains the idea of

leaving one family in order to
establish another.
This also explains the holiness
and permanence of marriage
with God as the designer of
marriage.
Jesus explains the Christian
ideal- marriage involving life-long
companionship which is faithful
and which excludes divorce and
remarriage

Mark 10:8-9

So they are no longer two but one.

Man must not separate then, what
God has joined together.

Mark 10:11-12

A man who divorces his wife and

marries another woman commits
adultery against his wife. In the
same way, a woman who divorces
her husband and marries another
man commits adultery.

Marriage A RITE OF PASSAGE

For this reason a man will leave his

father and mother and unite with hid wife,
and the two will become one.

Cultural Anthropology
A rite of passage is an important and often
complex ritual that allows an individual or
individuals to be transformed from one stage to
another ie. from an old status to a new status.

Phases of Rites of Passage

1. Separation-birth, adolescence, leaving home,
marriage, death

2. Transition- learning appropriate behavior for

new phase being entered
3. Incorporation- participant is formally admitted
into new role
The Transformation/ Adaptation
Prior to marriage this couple were single and
from 2 separate families. Marriage unites these
two people together in love, forming a new
family unit in which husband and wife are

responsible for one another and for their

children.
The hierarchical and role relations
The married couple move from being children of a
family to an equal level with their parents. Most will
have children and become parents themselves.
The relationship between a man and a woman in a
Christian marriage is expected to be equal.
Marriage A RITE OF PASSAGE

Rites of passage affect this change of status

as well as proclaiming it to the community.
Thus there is a strong community element in
rites of passage
(a) confirms the beliefs of the group
(b) encourages group cohesion,
(c) teaches moral lessons.

Confirms the beliefs of the group

A way of holiness
Marriage is a sacred and life long union of a
man and a woman who give themselves to
each other in trust and love. Their relationship
should reflect the everlasting love that God has
for the Church through Christ. Through
marriage, the couple express their love and
service of God through their love and service of
each other.

Important Elements in a Rite

Encourages group cohesion

Structures the lives of the couple.

Choices will be according to the structure of
family commitment. Responsibility as a
single person moves to ongoing shared
responsibility with the partner.

Elevates the mundane to the

supernatural. Every aspect of the couples
relationship is meant to reflect the love
Christ has for his church, so that even the
most mundane events of life, the love the
couple has for each other deepens their
relationship with God.

The symbol system

The use of symbols will vary with different
Christian denominations. Some which are
common include:
Recitation of marriage vows
Exchange of rings
Readings from scripture
Drinking from the cup of wine
Joining hands while the marriage vows are
made
Signing the marriage contract
Saying of prayers
The bride wearing a veil and wearing white

The time

The couple are required to be over the age of 18 years.

The place

The wedding ceremony takes place in the Church.

The participants

The rite of marriage is a public ceremony- the couple are required to make
their vows in public. Also present are 2 witnesses, families and friends and a
priest or minister.
Orthodox, Roman Catholic and some Protestant Christians regard marriage
as a sacrament this means that it is a special means by which God acts in
peoples lives.

The charter
(formal document of
incorporation
The set form

The religious ceremony involves many symbols and actions such as :

opening song, bridal procession, giving the bride away, readings from the
bible, etc. This can vary with each Christian denomination.

Christian Marriage is

A Sacred Commitment & Lifelong Commitment

A Sacrament
A Monogamous, Indissoluble and Faithful
Relationship
A Covenant Relationship a model of the love
which Christ has for Gods people
A Vocation
The foundation of the family and the Church

Purpose of Christian Marriage

Unitive
Procreative
When a couple marry in the Christian Church,
the ceremony speaks of love, permanent
commitment, fidelity, openness to children and
perseverance in good time and bad.
It is these qualities which make marriage a unique
relationship.
There is no other human relationship which
requires so total a commitment between two
people.

An ANNULMENT is a legal procedure which

cancels a marriage between a man and a woman.
Annulling a marriage is as though it is completely
erased - legally, it declares that the marriage never
technically existed and was never valid.
A DIVORCE, or legal dissolution of a marriage, is
the ending of a valid marriage between a man and
a woman returning both parties to single status with
the ability to remarry.
REASONS FOR ANNULMENT

Bigamy - either party was already married

to another person at the time of the
marriage
Forced Consent - one of the spouses was
forced or threatened into marriage and only
entered into it under duress
Fraud - one of the spouses agreed to the
marriage based on the lies or
misrepresentation of the other
Marriage Prohibited By Law - marriage
between parties that based on their familial
relationship is considered incestuous
Mental Illness - either spouse was mentally
ill or emotionally disturbed at the time of the
marriage
Inability to Consummate Marriage - either
spouse was physically incapable of having
sexual relations or impotent during the
marriage

Underage Marriage - either spouse was

too young to enter into marriage without
parental consent or court approval

REASONS FOR DIVORCE

Underage Marriage - either spouse was

too young to enter into marriage without
parental consent or court approval
Desertion - one spouse abandons the
other, physically and emotionally, for a
lengthy period of time
Physical/Emotional Abuse - one spouse
subjects the other to physical or violent
attacks or emotional or psychological abuse
such as abusive language, and threats of
physical violence