LESSON 5- REVELATION

Introduction

This lesson showcases the central concept of revelation as it is understood in the Catholic faith.
Revelation is the loving self-disclosure of God, in order to establish relationship with His people.
Revelation manifests itself in creation, in the Sacred Scripture, in the Church today and even in other
world religions. However, God is definitively revealed in Jesus Christ, who is the fullness of God’s loving
self-gift: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1: 14). Through revelation, God creates
dialogue with humanity, hoping to bring them into full union with Him in love.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the session, the ReEd1 students are expected to:

A) Describe the concept of revelation as the loving self-disclosure of God to His chosen people,
especially in a definitive way in the Incarnation of Christ;
B) Recognize the presence of revelation in the Sources of faith, Creation and the Incarnation; and
C) Appraise the presence of revelation in other world religions by asserting the inclusivist stance of
the Catholic faith.

Motivation

Saint Augustine says: If the truth is the object of the aspirations of all human beings, it cannot be the
exclusive personal property of any person. The truth cannot be exclusively mine or yours precisely
because it must be both yours and mine.

Exposition

Revelation, the divine self-gift of God, is communicated in different ways. Primarily, it is

communicated in two ways: through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Secondarily, it also
manifests in the human experience of people, in the Christian witness and culture that exist among
human beings. Together, these three sources (Scripture, Tradition and human experience) come from
the same origin (God) and unite in one goal: the proclamation of revelation in Christ.

The Church looks to God’s revelation in the Scripture and Tradition as the only authentic source
for our knowledge about God and God’s will for the whole human race. It is the responsibility of the
Church, through her teaching (doctrines), sacraments (worship) and ministries (morals), to transmit to
every new generation all that God has revealed (Badion, 2018).

Justin Joseph G. Badion, Initium Fidei: An Introduction to Doing Catholic Theology. (Manila: Recoletos
Educational Apostolate of the Philippines, 2018), 105.
Revelation and Relationship

The word revelation (Latin revelatio, Greek apocalypsis) means literally “the removal of a veil”
(Latin velum, Greek kalymma). Revelation indicates disclosure, showcasing that something or someone
was previously hidden or “veiled” and is now made known and “unveiled.” This disclosure was described
by Catholic fundamental theologian Heinrich Fries as, “Re-velare” which is quite specific in concept. It
means to take away the velum, or veil or cover. It means to make known, to reveal openly: what was
previously covered and invisible is now lifted up into sight. When revelare is predicated of God, it
assumes that God is a hidden God; the meaning is that God’s concealment and invisibility are unveiled
and manifested. For in the act of revealing, some things or someone is always made manifest. Thus,
revelation includes two things in one: the act and faculty of revealing and what is revealed in the act
(Fries, 1969), 20.

Revelation underscores the fact that God, who did not have any reason to disclose Himself, did
so out of love. This loving self- disclosure indicates a God who wants to establish a relationship with His
people. Relationship is the heart of revelation. The best example of this would be the relationship we
have with our friends. We reach out and maintain this relationship in various ways, and we do not want
to lose touch of such relationship, so we do various things to keep the relationship intact. The same with
our relationship with God. As God reaches out, so too God awaits an eager and active response from us,
which is faith.

How does this idea of revelation relate to the ordinary Filipino life? The Catechism for the
Filipino Catholics gives an interesting example: “One of the best things you can say about a Filipino is:
‘Marami siyang kilala’ (He knows many people), or ‘Maraming nakakilala sa kanya’ (Many people know
him). On the other hand, one of the worst things to say about a Filipino is ‘Wala siyang kilala’ (Nobody
knows him), or ‘Walang kumilala sa kanya’ (No one gives him a recognition) (CFC, para. 62).
 In the life of faith, the one who reaches out to us is God, who wants to become our “kilala.” By
being in relation with God, we come to terms with our true selves, who we are meant to be. This story
of the constant initiative of God and the response of humanity will be the story of Christian revelation.
“Through this revelation, therefore, the invisible God (see Col. 1: 15, 1Tim. 1: 17) out of the abundance
of His love speaks to men as friends (see Ex. 33: 11; John 15: 14-15) and lives among them (see Bar. 3:
38), so that He may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself (DV, para. 2).

What is the purpose of revelation? The purpose of revelation is for the benefit of salvation for all
humanity. The self- disclosure of God changes and even transforms human beings who hear the divine
word, drawing these people to loving relationship with Him. Dei Verbum # 4 highlights that “God is with
us to liberate us from the darkness of sin and death and raises us up to eternal life.” God is the light that
illuminates our way towards life everlasting.

In what manner does God reveal Himself? God reveals Himself in many ways: through creation,
through salvation history recorded within the Sacred Scripture, and through the life of the Church, But
God fully and definitively reveals Himself in Christ, who completes and perfects revelation.

Creation and Revelation

The first way that God reveals to us is through creation. Creation is the foundation of God’s
saving plan and the beginning of salvation history (CFC, para. 314). The world and everything in it are
natural signs of God. A beautiful image in the Sacred Scripture describing the creative process of God is
expressed by the prophet Jeremiah “I went down to the potter’s house and there he was working at the
wheel. Whenever the object of the clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried
again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. Then the word of the Lord came to
me: Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? says the Lord. Indeed, like clay in the
hand of the potter, so are you in my hand (Jeremiah 18: 1-6).

The image of a potter, lovingly building up the piece of the clay into a beautiful earthen vessel,
showcases the dynamic quality to the process of creation by God. And this process did not end in the
past. Signs of God’s creative presence persist even today. With every infant that is born in the world,
with new music, painting and sculpture that is produced by the artist and every good deed by a human
being, God continues to create, and we too participate in that creative process.

An intimacy develops between the clay and the potter, each dependent on the rhythm of
tension and yielding, on the sensitivity to the moment when the new is ready to emerge. “See, I am
doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isa. 43:19). The original potter is
found in Genesis. “The Lord God formed the human being from the dust of the ground….” (Gen. 2: 7).
The Holy One, hands smeared by the dust and mud, holds this earthen vessel, breathes Spirit into it, and
there, enveloped in holiness… is a human person. This earthen miracle is present in John’s gospel when
Jesus takes earth, adds saliva, and makes mud, smearing it on the eyes of the one born blind (John 9: 6).
Do you not see… through this earthenware vessel of grace, I am creating something new, not clay but
sight? At the Last Supper, Jesus took the cup, an earthenware vessel, declared it blessed, and poured
out life. The common place, an ordinary table cup becomes the carrier of the holy (Kozak, 2015), 307.

The Bible and Revelation

The Church believes that the Sacred Scripture is the inspired Word of God. The Bible, therefore,
contains divine revelation. Revelation found in the Bible is clearer and more authoritative, compared to
other sources of revelation, by virtue of the fact that it is in written form. Therefore, the Bible is a very
significant source for drawing out God’s revelation. While it is true that the Bible in its entirety is the
Word of God, there are things written in the Bible- facts, anecdotes, recordings of history, opinions- that
tell us absolutely nothing about the person of God and who God is. Thus, Biblical interpretation and the
guidance of the Sacred Tradition become central in determining which parts are revelatory and which
parts are not. Although the Bible contains revelation, not all revelations is found in the Bible. God
reveals in many ways and various ways. God reveals through creation, the Church and even other world
religions. The Bible does not have monopoly of revelation, but it is important to point out that the Bible
holds a special place amongst all these sources. The Bible is the norm, the rule and the measure by
which we assess all revelation (Gaillardetz, 2003), 36.

The Bible records God’s entering into a special relationship with His chosen people, the race of
Abraham, the people of Israel. In Jewish tradition, Abraham is hailed as the first to be addressed by the
Word, and the first to respond to it in faith. This address- response marks the beginning of salvation
history as such, because for the first time God’s personal act of revelation is reciprocated by an equally
personal reception, the divine call met by the human response of “Here am I” (cf Genesis 22: 1).

God also revealed to his people through the prophets. Through chosen men and women- kings,
judges, priests and wisemen- God liberated, led and guided His people. There are various stages in the
prophetic word- event. It begins with a moment of a revelatory state of minds. The “word of Yahweh”
(in Hebrew dabar YHWH) comes into the prophet from the outside. These may take the form of visions,
auditions, inspirations, inner promptings or symbolic perceptions. Although many prophets spoke many
different words, it must be affirmed that there is only one Word coming from one God. It is a word of
salvation, of redemption, of ultimate victory for God’s people and their safe and joyful return to Him.
We can make an analogy to music: there may be different harmonies, but they comprise only one
musical theme (Yap, 2003), 26. For example, Amos’ announcement of Gods’ justice was swiftly followed
by Hosea’s insistence on God’s mercy. Isaiah’s idea of God’s holiness was richly complimented by
Jeremiah’s insight into God’s compassion, culminating in Ezekiel’s vision of God dwelling with His people
wherever they may be, even (and most specially) in exile.
Revelation and Incarnation

God’s revelation was weakened by the infidelities and hardness of the heart of His chosen
people. God, therefore, chose to reveal fully and definitively by sending His Son to be our Savior, like us
in all things except sin. Jesus Christ is the definitive revelation. The word “definitive” came from the
Latin root word “fin,” which means “end,” “boundary,” or “limit.” When we speak of Jesus Christ as
having definitively revealed God to us, we mean that his revelation “ends” in Christ. Revelation has been
decisively realized and fulfilled in Christ. Jesus Christ completed and perfected the initial revelation to
the chosen people. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs: “Do not think that I have come to
abolish the law and the prophets, I have come not to abolish but to fulfill (Matthew 5: 17).

We, therefore, affirm that it is in Jesus Christ that we receive revelation definitively and most
fully. He is both the agent and the content, because this revelation is done through a combination of his
words and his deeds. At the same time, the actual matter of revelation, its content, is also Christ. He is
the verbum visible (Augustine’s Homilies on the Gospel of John, 124). Christ reveals God Himself. Christ
reveals the Trinity, and is the generated Son, incarnated into the world so that the Father may be made
known to the world, in the Holy Spirit.

God’s revelation in Jesus Christ did not stop with his ascension to the Father. Jesus gathered
around him a group of apostles and disciples who would form the core of what would eventually
become the Church. The Catholic Church traces its origin back to this New Testament ekklesia, a term
that means “the people of God called together” What was once a small band of brothers and sisters in
faith has since grown into a world community. The Church is a “faith- assembly whose root cause is
God’s free call to share His divine goodness and love in Christ. The Church, therefore, is not just a social
grouping of people drawn together by cultural values and attitudes.” (CFC, para. 1355). God is the ever-
present source, foundation and goal of the Church, and through the Church, God is made known to the
world.

What are the implications of the incarnation to our human living? It is a reminder of God’s
participation within human history. God Himself entered into our material and limited reality, and in so
doing changed its very fabric. If God can take on human nature, then it must mean that human nature is
not as bad as we assumed it to be. There is much goodness in humanity, so much so that Scripture
proclaims us to be in the image and likeness of God. Thus, our task is to imitate the goodness of God, as
members of the Sacrament of Christ, the Church.

So professing faith in a God whose Word became incarnate has to lead us to live a faith embodied
in history. Without ever ceasing to cultivate an intimate relationship with the Lord and living a faith
always rooted in the experience of Jesus Christ, we have to realize that the authentically Christian
interior life is not mere interiority. Our authentic living- out of the faith must be embodied in
history; if it is not, it is heretical. Christian faith is not an enclosed ghetto of belief, but a radical
opening to the world. The God of Jesus took flesh and lived among us, in this world (da Silva e
Araujo, 2008), 67-80.

Revelation in other World Religions

 The multitude of religions create a real, intellectual difficulty for many people today. How is this
religious diversity to be interpreted?

1. For some people, the existence of many religions means that none of these religions are valid ways to
reach ultimate reality. This belief is known as religious nihilism. For religious nihilists, no religion can
claim to be valid avenues for the revelation of ultimate reality.

2. Other people insist that all religions are equally valid avenues for reaching ultimate reality. This belief
is known as relativistic pluralism. For relativistic pluralists, the question of faith is like an eat- all- you-
can buffet. People can pick and choose whichever religion they want to affiliate themselves with, and
even mix and match religious practices that seem consistent with their personal understanding of the
world and ultimate reality.

These two views, religious nihilism and relativistic pluralism, are incompatible with Christianity.
A Christian cannot be a religious nihilist, because a religious nihilist already discredits any form of belief
as valid. At the same time, a Christian cannot be a relativistic pluralist, because a relativistic pluralist
holds all religions as equal avenues to God, whereas the Christian claim is that Christ is the fullness and
definitiveness of revelation, and holds primacy compared to other religions.

Some Christian denominations, like the Baptist, believe that there is no salvation outside of the
Christian Church. For these Christians, since Christianity is God’s way for all humanity, there is no truth,
no genuine relation to God outside the Christian faith. Other religions must be false. In fact, some
Christian denominations are even more restrictive, claiming that there is no salvation outside of their
own denomination. This particular stance is known as exclusivism. Exclusivism is a theological position
that posits no grace or salvation outside of the Christian confession. Unless one proclaims explicit faith
in Christ, one cannot participate in God’s saving grace (Feldmeier, 2017), 76.

Exclusivism is invalid in the Catholic perspective. An exclusivist will never be able to dialogue
with other religions, because exclusivists deny the value to be found in other religions, in fear that by
accepting these values, they are denying Christ. Within the Catholic view, this is seriously flawed kind of
logic. There are ways in which we can insist on the primacy of revelation in Christ without discrediting
the role that other religions play, especially in relation to grace and revelation. This can be seen in the
Catholic stance of inclusivism. Our faith, by its catholic nature, affirms the understanding that the
Church does not have the monopoly of revelation or salvation. Our faith attests that the Spirit does
move even and most especially beyond the Church. Thus, Catholics must take on an inclusivist stance.
Inclusivism is the belief acknowledging the truth to be found in other religions but insists that everything
true in these religions finds its deepest meaning and perfect completion in Christ.

Inclusivism posits that Christ is the absolute savior and that his saving grace is operative outside of
the formal Christian confession. This position is built on three assumptions. The first is that God
desires all people be saved. Secondly, all experiences of truth and goodness are experiences of God’s
grace. Thus, to seek the good and respond to it is to implicitly seek God and respond to God’s grace
Theses statemenst:
working in one’s heart. Finally, all grace is mediated through Christ. This position is the most widely
embraced in mainstream Christianity and is the formal position of the Catholic Church (Feldmeier,
2017), 77.
The following are seven theses that relate to other world religions, in light of the inclusivist perspective:

1.

Not everything in other world religions is true and good.

Because of the fallen nature of man, religions as institutions are imperfect. Some religions have
practices that many of us consider immoral, such as human sacrifice or the unjust treatment of women.
Religion has also been used as a reason to justify wars. History tells us that European monarchs used
God as the reason to rationalize the pursuit of colonization, which subjected many people to oppression.
In the modern times, various religious extremists promote violence and death. As such, we must affirm
that not everything in world religions are true and good.

One example of unjust religious practice is sati, a disturbing practice of Hindu women being so
devoted to their husbands that when the husband died, the widow was said to be so overcome with
grief that she would leap onto the funeral pyre and burn herself alive. Even the Catholic Church
acknowledged its history of imperfection. Whether it is the Crusades or the Inquisition, the Church has
had its sins. This is to be expected, for the Church is a communion of sinners- both repentant and
unrepentant. We cling together in this Church not because we believe ourselves to be pure and just, but
precisely because we are not. Our belief in Christ, however, guarantees for us that all things can be
redeemed, both within the Church and outside of it (DeLorenzo, 2015), 23.

2.

There is much that is naturally good in other religions.

Despite the imperfection of the world religions, there is much that is true and good in these
religions. They inculcate in their followers’ virtues such as prayer, self-denial, love of neighbor, and so
forth. Therefore, the Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in other religions. She regards
with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though
differing in many aspects form the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that
truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ “the way, the truth
and the life (John 14: 6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled
all things to Himself (Pope Paul VI, Nostra Aetate, 1965). AS such, the Church’s stance must be one with
dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, as we aim to recognize, preserve and
promote the good values and practices found in other religions (Nostra Aetate, para. 2).

3.

Other religions may bear traces of the supernatural.

 Supernaturality is defined “as what is beyond or above nature or natural law, often proposed as
a distinguishing feature of world religion.” (Dein, 2016), 36. These world religions are nevertheless made
by men who live in a supernatural order, in a “graced world.” This means that since the world is God’s
creation, it bears marks of God’s grace. As such, God’s activity is present in other religious traditions.
Culturally, the experience of the supernatural is familiar with Filipinos: “we Filipinos are spirit- oriented.
We are often said to be naturally psychic. We have a deep-seated belief in the supernatural and in all
kinds of spirits dwelling in individual persons, places and things. Even in today’s world of science and
technology, Filipinos continue to invoke the spirits in various undertaking, especially in faith-healings
and exorcisms (CFC, para. 43).

4.

Other religions may serve as means of grace for their

followers.

Even during the time of the early Church Fathers like Irenaeus, Origen, Clement of Alexandria,
Cyprian of Carthage, Gregory of Nysa, and John Chrysostom have already expressed the possibility that
even people who do not know the gospel explicitly can experience God’s saving grace in their lives. We
can justify this by appealing to the incarnational structure of grace. God’s grace encounters people
“where they are,” in their particular experiences, culture and ways of life. “This God is revealed as love
and service; kneeling, He washes our feet (John 13: 1-13). This is a God who is engaged with the person
and with history, the One who takes the initiative in going out to meet us (Mark 5: 21-23). God places
Godself at the service of each one of us, and tells us that if the Master and Lord, does this, we too must
do the same (John 13: 14-15).

5.

Other religions may also contain revelation.

Revelation is the invitation of God for people to understand Him and His will, to establish
friendship, common life and relationship between Him and His people. In some way, it is possible that
this invitation by God extends in some way to other religions. This is obviously true to faiths which
derive from, or have been influenced by Judaism or Christianity, such as Islam. There is a reciprocal
relationship between Christianity and other religions. Non- Christian religions complement Christianity
and Christianity complements non- Christian religions. This two- way reciprocity is the reason why
dialogue between religions works to mutually enrich both sides. At the same time, there is also a
reciprocal relationship between Jesus and other “savior figures” insofar as Jesus’ revelation and
salvation are also complemented by God’s self-revelation and redemption manifest in other teachers of
non- Christian religions (Phan, 2004), 66.
6.

The members of other religion may be considered

anonymous or latent Christians.

As early as the time of the Church Fathers, Christians have tried to grapple with the reality of the
possibility of salvation and access to God by non- Christians. “Broadly, Church Fathers believed that
pious, devout Jews and Gentiles who lived before Christ were saved by the preexistent Word (Logos).
Justin Martyr spoke of the seeds of the Word (Logos spermatikos) planted in the hearts of these pious
souls, and many of the great architects of Christian orthodoxy held the same view (Feldmeier, 2017).
Theologians since then have tried to grapple with the idea as well. Karl Rahner speaks of “anonymous”
Christians. This term attempts to highlight how even people from other religions are able to live lives
consistent the vision of God, even without the intentional assent to the Christian religion (Rahner, 1974),
390.

7.

Christianity is the fulfillment of all that is valid in other

religions.

However, at its heart, we must insist that Christianity is the fulfillment of all that is valid in other
religions. “Christianity represents absolute revelation, while other religions will ultimately see their
goodness and some of the truths they hold as being raised to a higher perfection in the Christian faith”
(Feldmeier, 2017), 80. Even apologetically, the statement is non- condescending or gratuitous. Jesus is
the unique and universal savior, but we affirm that it does not exclude non- Christians from being saved.
This understanding of Christ as definitive revelation in relation to other religions has been affirmed by
the Congregation of the Faith’s document, Dominus Iesus:

It is necessary above all to reassert the definitive and

complete character of the revelation of Jesus Christ. In fact,
it must be firmly believed that, in the mystery of Jesus
Christ, the Incarnate Son of God, who is “the way, the truth
and the life” (John 14: 6), the full revelation of the divine
truth is given (Dominus Iesus, 2000), para. 5.
 Unity is a deep desire of the heart of God and the ultimate hope of the human race. The creation
story in Genesis, while it tells us nothing scientific about the origin of humanity, beautifully expresses
the truth that God created humanity as one family. That family, however, was split apart by sin.
Ironically, and tragically, one of the most evident sources of division among humans is religion. The
Church today urges us to overcome religious division, and come together as one family once more. The
Church also warns against any form of discrimination against members of other religions. “The Church
reproves, as foreign to the mind of Christ, any discrimination against men or harassment of them
because of their race, color, condition of life, or religion (Nostra Aetate, para. 5).

Summary

Revelation must be understood as the dynamic self-disclosure of God to His people. Therefore,
the term revelation should be restricted to a verb form. Revelation is a fairly common term in secular
speech; it usually refers to what has been a secret and has now come to light. The Church does not
simply collect the revealed truths of the faith as if they were mere possession. We can only speak of God
revealing (a verb), and humans responding (also a verb) with the act of believing in God (Moran, 2016).
The Bible and the earliest tradition of the Church are a deposit of faith, not a deposit of revelation; there
is no object that is a divine revelation (Dei Verbum, para. 10).

At the same time, the Church’s use of revelation as a metaphor of divine activity should always
be in the singular, never plural. “There is one God, one creation, one revelation to which Jews,
Christians, Muslims, and others respond. The Church has to listen for a divine speaking and look for a
divine revealing throughout all creation. Since other religious groups have a legitimate claim on the term
revelation, the Church would do well to listen to other voices, in addition to its own, for understanding
the revelation of God (Moran, 2016), 14.

References:

1. Araújo, Emmanuel da Silva e. “Ignatian Spirituality as a Spirituality of Incarnation.” The Way 47, no.
1/2 (January 2008): 67-80.

2. Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. Catechism for the Filipino Catholics. Special Subsidized
Edition for Filipino Catechists. Manila: Episcopal Commission for Catechesis and Catholic Education,
2005.

3. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Dominus Iesus. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vatican, 2000.

4. Dein, Simon. “The Category of the Supernatural: A Valid Anthropological Term?” Religion Compass 10,
no. 2 (2016): 35-44.
5. DeLorenzo, Leonard J. “Communion of Saints and Sinners: Loving and Imperfect Church.” America
212, no. 4 (February 9, 2015): 23-25.

6. Feldmeier, Peter. “Perils and Possibilities of Multiple Religions Belonging: Test Case in Roman
Catholicism.” Open Theology 3, no. 1 (2017): 73- 89.

7. Fries, Heinrich. Revelation: Mysterium Salutis. New York, NY: Herder and Herder, 1969.

8. Gaillardetz, Richard R. By What Authority?: A Primer on Scripture, the Magisterium, the Sense of the
Faithful. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2003.

9. Kozak, Pat. “Earthen Vessels.” Bible Study 53, no. 5 (September 2015): 305-8.

10. Moran, Gabriel. “A Verb, Not a Noun: The Perils of ‘Revelation.’” Commonweal, no. 16 (2016): 14.

11. Phan, Peter. Being Religious Interreligious: Asian Perspective on Interfaith Dialogue. Maryknoll, NY:
Orbis Books, 2004.

12. Pope Paul VI. Dei Verbum. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1965.

13.__________. Nostra Aetate. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1965.

14. Rahner, Karl. “Anonymous Christians.” In Theological Investigations, translated by David Bourke, 6:
390- 98. New York, NY: Seabury, 1974.

15. Yap, Joaquin C. “Word and Wisdom” in the Ecclesiology of Louis Bouyer.” Dissertation, Oxford
University, 2003.