Bøker av Joseph Pathrapankal

Jesus of Nazareth inaugurated his earthly ministry with an announcement of the fulfilment of time as well as the nearness of the kingdom of God. The Good News he preached came as a challenge to start a new way of living in our historical process. In fact, time and history are the most important parameters of human life. The ongoing flow of time is what we call history and the entire historical process of the world is at the same time salvation history. Humans are the makers of history and they are also being formed and transformed by this history. The Church, in continuing the saving mission of Christ, tries to become the sacrament of God's presence in history and imparts to the world at large its healing and saving power. It is from the Bible that we have to derive a comprehensive and holistic meaning of time and history, and it is this salubrious understanding that should be the source of inspiration for all in approaching and celebrating the challenge of time and history in our times. The various studies in this 'Time and History: Biblical and Theological Studies' try to throw light on some of the forgotten dimensions of time and history, and invite men and women towards a more meaningful commitment to our historical process.

What does it mean to be a Christian in our times in a world come of age, where Christians all over the world have to face the challenge posed by religious pluralism and secular humanism and even the challenge of a so-called religionless Christianity in a postmodern era? Answers to this question can be varied, and all of them point to something more crucial and radical. This basic question is to be approached from an equally radical answer given by Jesus of Nazareth in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:1-7:29), wherein we get the blueprint of an authentic programme of life for all humans. The theological and pastoral study of this major discourse of Jesus highlights the parameters of a responsible and committed life.