Ateneo de Manila University Theology Department

Theology 131 Midterm Oral Examination

THESIS STATEMENTS
Thesis One
A proper and holistic theological anthropology views the person as imago Dei and as a person
adequately considered.
Thesis Two
God calls humankind. The meaning of human existence can therefore be seen as a response to
that call. I respond in an active, self-determined response to a general call.
Thesis Three
Love is “the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual
growth” (M. Scott Peck). Love and will can block and complement each other; our task is “to unite
love and will” (Rollo May).
Thesis Four
According to M. Scott Peck, there are several misconceptions about love. Love is an activity that
demands attention. It takes the form of work or courage. It is a committed and thoughtful
decision.
Thesis Five
Freedom and responsibility are interrelated. My actions define who I am, but at the same time, I
am not defined solely by what I do or do not do. The direction of my actions point to the kind of
person that I am. One profound question that it raises: in what direction am I pointing my life?
Thesis Six
The radicality of evil is a mystery. We speak of evil symbolically. One of the symbolisms of evil is
sin. In the context of human life as a vocation, sin is infidelity to the covenant. In the context of
our relationship to God and other people, it is a violated relation. In the context of morality, it is a
fact, an act, and a direction.
Thesis Seven
A sacrament is “an efficacious sign instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church as a means
by which life is dispensed to us.” Like any sign, it has an inherent structure; yet unlike most signs,
it is efficacious. Catholicism’s principles of sacramentality, mediation, and communion
encapsulates the importance and value of the sacraments.
Thesis Eight
The very sacramentality of marriage implies considering marriage as a human reality. This entails
knowledge of its intrinsic values and its historicity. This human reality becomes a sacrament
through baptism. As a sacrament, this human reality is an act of the Church, a source of
redemption, and revelatory of God’s grace working in our lives.
Thesis Nine
The sacrament of marriage is a witnessing. As a human reality, it witnesses to the conjugal love
between man and woman which expresses itself in intimate union, fidelity, commitment, and
fecundity. As a sacrament, it witnesses to the indissoluble union of Christ and the Church, and to
the self-giving and faithful love that characterizes divine love. A Christian marriage, if it is to be a
sacrament, must in its conduct give evidence that God’s spirit is present and active in the
relationship (Mackin).
Thesis Ten
“Conjugal love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the person enter - appeal of the
body and instinct, power of feeling and affectivity, aspiration of the spirit and of will. It aims at a
deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union in one flesh, leads to forming one heart and
soul; it demands indissolubility and faithfulness in definitive mutual giving; and it is open to
fertility” (1643, CCC)
Be at the venue at least 10 minutes before your schedule.