“The Ama Namin in the Doctrina Christiana of 1593 from the Perspective of Inculturation.” Dr. José M. De Mesa, Professor of Applied Systematic Theology, De La Salle University-Manila.
Doing theology from a Filipino cultural perspective is imperative if we are to develop our own understanding of Christianity. The largely forgotten text of the 1593 version of the Ama Namin provides especially useful insights for doing theology in the Filipino cultural context. Not only does it illustrate the positive values of the Filipino culture in general, it also shows the capability of the Filipino language to articulate the faith in particular.
ANG AMA NAMIN[1]
Ama namin na sa langit ca
ypasamba mo ang ngalan mo,
moui sa amin ang pagcahari mo.
Ypa sonod mo ang loob mo dito sa lupa parang sa langit,
bigyan mo cami ngaion nang amin cacanin, para nang sa araoarao,
at pacaualin mo ang aming casalanan,
ya iang uinaualan bahala namin sa loob
ang casalanan nang nagcasasala sa amin.
Houag mo caming aeun nang di cami matalo nang tocso.
Datapouat yadia mo cami sa dilan masama.
Amen, Jesus.
Source: “Doctrina Christiana”, Manila, 1593.
Contributed by Wolfgang Kuhl - E-mail: WKuhl44238@aol.com
My loose translation into English,
Our Father you are in heaven,
Make us worship your name,
Let your kingship come home to us,
Make us conform to your “loob” here on earth like in heaven
Give us today our rice[2], for everyday
And let go of our sin,
Like we consider as nothing in our “loob”
The sin of those who sin against us
Do not abandon us so temptation will not defeat us.
However set us free/protect us from the evil “diwa”.
Amen. Jesus.
Some concepts seeking attention are:
2. The challenge for a response in those who pray
3. God’s kingdom or will in terms of “loob”
4. God’s kingdom “coming home” to us
5. The concept of physical needs using the metaphor of rice—kanin
6. The concept of forgiveness through an act going on in our “loob”
7. The plea not to be left alone—iwan
8. The idea of evil which uses “diwa”
Implications:
Based on the concepts enumerated above, there is a rich source of theology in the concepts and ideas of the Filipino culture. Our works should use these untapped concepts to articulate a Filipino theology. More to follow.
[2] Rice is a good metaphor for our lives. We have terms like binhi, palay, bigas, sinaing, sinangag, lugaw, am, bahaw, biko, bibingka, suman, puto, etc. which correspond roughly to different life stages. In addition, eating rice connotes fellowship and celebration. Filipinos find the flimsiest of reasons to eat together.
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