Bachelor of Arts in Theology

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    The Charism of Vincentian Congregation' In the Light of Jesus' Altruistic Ministry (Luke 4:16-30)
    (Tangaza University College, 2004) Putertssery, Paul
    In the 17`h century, France witnessed to the great saint of the poor, who is said to 'have done the works of six saints in his life', just as the 20th century found itself with the preferential option for the poor in the life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The seed he planted in caring for the poor centuries ago still grows in the 3rd millennium through the works of Vincentians and other Vincentian Institutions that came up in the course of the time. Vincent de Paul's vision of Christ was that he is a Missionary Christ, who empties himself of his condition as a Son of God in order to free his people form bondage, both corporeal and spiritual. This Christ draws others together, male and female, rich and poor and makes them share his mission. He saw this fullness of Christ's mission in the Lucan narrative 4:16-30, which is also entitled as the 'gospel in miniature' because it foreshadows both the ministry and the fate of Jesus through out the Gospel. Finally he took the words of Jesus as the motto of his life and of the Congregation of the mission he founded. A host of questions may come to one's mind while reflecting on the opening words of Jesus in Galilee and its relation to the charism and mission of St. Vincent. On the one hand, what does Jesus mean while quoting the Isaiah text? Was Jesus aware of what he read in the synagogue? How far the Scripture passage from Isaiah was fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus? What was the primary mission of Jesus in proclaiming the Kingdom of God? On the other hand, why did St. Vincent choose the words of Jesus as his motto? What prompted him to do so? How far this charism is fulfilled through the lives and ministries of the Vincentians all around the world, especially the members of the Vincentian Congregation after its 100 years of existence? After spending 11 years in the Congregation, first as an aspirant, then as a temporarily professed member, as a perpetually professed member and now as a deacon, I thought it is good and proper to know the charism in its deeper reality. Each congregation has its own charism and the prime duty of its members is to make the charism thefts, not vice versa. Therefore, I felt the urgent need of going back to the original sources and reflect on the Scripture passage that motivated St. Vincent, and to keep it updated to all the Vincentians, especially to the Vincentian Congregation. This work is my gift to the Congregation as it celebrates its Centenary this year. Our task here is to depict the original Lucan meaning of the text and apply it to the charism of the Vincentian Congregation i.e., evangelizare pauperibus misit me — he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. The study is divided into three chapters. The first chapter analyzes the introductory questions with regard to the episode (4:16-30). In it, I will discuss the many aspects that brought Jesus to proclaim the statement from Isaiah, and also analyze the pertinent texts parallel to this periscope and compares them with the Lucan passage. The first chapter ends with a brief discussion on the form and structure of this Lucan narrative. The second chapter is dedicated to the detailed exegetical analysis of the our periscope and most significantly the Isaiah verses (4:18-19). Such an analysis gives us in depth the understanding of the Isaiah verse quoted by Jesus, and its theological implication. This helps us to understand that in the Lucan theology of preaching the Kingdom of God, Jesus was particularly interested in proclaiming it to the poor, but that is not all. The means that Jesus used to bring this good news were release from debts, release from sins and release from satanic powers. But the primary mission is the preaching of the good news to the poor. The third chapter is the climax of our study, where all these first two chapters were heading to. It analyses the charism of the Vincentian Congregation in the light of this Lucan passage. It is a study about the great saint of the 16th century in France, St. Vincent de Paul and his works among the poor that inspired few Indian priests to begin their own work among the South Indians, motivated by the charism of St. Vincent. The core of the study lies in the findings and proposals about how can this charism, found in Luke 4:18-19, be implemented in the different ministries of the Congregation in the 21st century.
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    The Cottolengo Charism and Its Application To The Kenyan Society Today
    (Tangaza University College, 2002-03) Marete, Muthoni Agnes
    Our essay is an attempt to discover and deepen the charism of Joseph Cottolengo in order to share it more fruitfully with others in the apostolate. My decision to study this charism more deeply grew out of the many questions I was asked about Joseph C'ettolengo, his work, and about the Religious communities of the Cottolengo family. Many Christians, especially young people, asked: Is Cottolengo a place or a person? Ilow come you live together as Cottolengo communities? What is your charism and who is Cottolengo. To answer all these questions. I felt the need to study, deepen more and write something about our charism, taking into account its implementation in the Kenyan context. This work therefore is a research into the Cottolengo charism. In an attempt to show how it helps to alleviate the new poverties in Kenyan society today, both historical and descriptive methods will be applied. The essay is divided into four chapters. The first chapter presents the history of the Cottolengo charism. We shall briefly describe the life of Joseph Cottolengo and what prompted him to start the Little I louse of Divine Providence. In the process we will show the uniqueness of the religious families he founded. The second chapter introduces the charism of Joseph Cottolengo. We shall sec that the Cottolengo charism is a gift given to him for the good of all and put in the service of the poor. In this chapter we will examine the biblical foundation of the Cottolengo charism and explore all its constitutive elements. In the third chapter we will try to analyze the fundamental characteristic of the Cottolengo charism, namely. "burning charity." This chapter gives us the picture of the poor that J. Cottolengo had in mind when he started the Little I louse as well as the joys and the challenges of serving them. Chapter four focuses on the application of the Cottolengo charism, that is, on how it responds to the needs of the poor in today's Kenya. Therefore, this final chapter will examine the services in which the followers of Joseph Cottolengo are invokied as a result of their reading of the signs of the time in this particular social context.
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    Prophetic Commitment to the Word of God
    (Tangaza University College, 1999-02-12) Mulenga, Augustine
    I have always been fascinated by and marvelled at the courage of Israel's classical prophets. This admiration lies especially in their ability to articulate the situation 'as it is' and 'as it can be'. For instance, when self-satisfied leaders oppressed the poor, prophetic voices named the brokenness of the covenanted community, and when every aspect of Israel's life was subject to painful experience, prophetic voices imaged a new life for a people whose spirits were broken and crushed. Although they differ vastly from one another, Israel's classical prophets show a strong conviction that their vocation together with their mission originates from the Holy One of Israel. In this connection and according to the Old Testament, their messages are often prefaced by the formula: 'Thus says the Lord' or concluded by the phrase: 'It is the Lord who speaks'. Properly speaking, it was the word of God that moved Israel's great prophets into an open confrontation with their audience, denouncing sin and proposing a new future. This essay explores the commitment of Israel's great prophets to the word of God so as to highlight the challenges which this commitment poses to the ministry of the church in Zambia* today. We do not intend to undertake a painstaking study on each one of the classical prophets vis-à-vis the word of God, but to select some specific elements, especially from the prophets Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah of Jerusalem, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Deutero- Isaiah, which can help us arrive at a better understanding of what prophetic commitment entails.The first two chapters investigate the implications of the commitment of Israel's great prophets: chapter one presents the call of the prophets as starting point of the prophetic commitment, and chapter two surveys the twofold dimension of the prophetic mission. The third chapter elaborates the challenge that the great prophets pose to the ministry of the church in Zambia, especially in the situation where the majority of the people have apparently no strength to think about the future because they have nothing to feed on today. Within the vision of faith, we hold that authentic Christian praxis that leads to social transformation through the works of justice and love emanates from a closer analysis of human reality in the light of the word of God. With a view to shed the light of God's word upon the human reality in Zambia today, our approach in this paper seeks and draws from the Bible the nourishment that is capable to inspire the local church in her task of sustaining God's people in their struggles and in their hopes for a better life. As far as possible, we shall develop our theme in a chronological manner.