CLF REVIEWER
What is the Church?
- PLACE WHERE PEOPLE GATHER AND PRAY.
- THEY FOLLOW CERTAIN DOCTRINE AND ETHICS
- TAYO ANG SIMBAHAN
- We must think the church is a living organism composed of people we know
and walk with.
- Comes from the Greek word “EKKLESIA” which means “THOSE CALLED OUT.”
- The English word “CHURCH” is derived from the term “KYRIAKE,” which means “THE LORD’S,” or
“WHAT BELONGS TO THE LORD
Catholic Social Teaching
- is a set of teachings of the Catholic Church which concerns the social dimensions of human existence.
Evangelization
- is the sharing of the good news or proclamation of salvation to all of creation.
Integral Evangelization
- this is the mission of the church in continuing the mission of Christ of proclamation of the total
salvation to all peoples which affects all the dimensions of human existence.
The social teaching of the church is “the precise formulation of the results of a careful reflection on the
complex realities of human life, in society and in the international order, in the light of faith and of the
Church’s tradition. It aims to interpret these realities, determining their harmony with or discord from
the gospel teaching on man and vocation, a vocation which is at once earthly and heavenly.
SOURCES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING
- Revelation
- Social dimension of the human person
Seven Catholic Social Teachings of the Church
1. Life and dignity of the Human Person
2. Call to Family, Community and Participation
3. Rights and Responsibilities
4. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
5. The Dignity of Works and Rights of workers
6. Solidarity
7. Care for God’s Creation
Only the Magisterium teaching authority of the Catholic Church, that is the bishops and the pope,
who can teach social doctrine with authority.
Does this mean that any Catholic who works for the betterment of social realities imbued with the
Christian spirit do so in the name of the Church?
- The answer is NO. When we act to order Philippine social realities, even in the spirit of the gospel, we
are doing so as responsible FILIPINOS
- members of the Philippine Church, but more citizens of the State. The Church due to her religious
mission, is not fixated to any political or economic system.
HISTORY OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHINGS
Papal Encyclical
- IS THE NAME TYPICALLY GIVEN TO A LETTER WRITTEN BY A POPE TO A PARTICULAR AUDIENCE OF
BISHOPS.
- deals with some aspect of Catholic teaching — clarifying, amplifying condemning or promoting one or a
number of issues.
Encyclical - “According to its etymology, an encyclical (from the Greek egkyklios, kyklos meaning a circle)
is nothing more than a circular letter.
An apostolic exhortation is a type of communication from the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. It
encourages a community of people to undertake a particular activity but does not define Church
doctrine.
POPE LEO XIII (1878-1903) VINCENZO GIOACCHINO RAFFAELE LUIGI PECCI
RERUM NOVARUM - “On the New Things” 15 May 1891, Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor
POPE JOHN XXIII (1958 – 1963) ANGELO GUISEPPE RONCALLI
MATER ET MAGISTRA - “Mother and Teacher” 15 May 1961, Christianity and Social Progress
PACEM IN TERRIS - “Peace on Earth” 11 April 1963, that peace between people must be based on truth,
justice, love and freedom.
POPE PAUL VI (1963 – 1978) GIOVANNIE BATTISTA ENRICO ANTONIO MARIA MONTINI
POPULORUM PROGRESSIO - “On the Development of People” 26 March 1967, ON THE DEVELOPMENT
OF PEOPLE
POPE JOHN PAUL II (1978 – 2005) KAROL JOZEF WOJTYLA
LABOREM EXERCENS - “Through Work” 14 September 1981 Focuses on human work as the key to the
entire social question. Human work is not only about salaries and material concerns; it is considered as
the very personal, natural, and supernatural vocation
SOLLICITUDO REI SOCIALIS - “THE SOCIAL CONCERN” 30 DECEMBER 1987
CENTESIMUS ANNUS - “THE HUNDREDTH YEAR – 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF RERUM NOVARUM” 1 MAY
1991
POPE BENEDICT XVI (2005-2013) JOSEPH ALOISIUS RATZINGER
CARITAS IN VERITATE - “Charity in Truth” 7 July 2009
POPE FRANCIS (2013-PRESENT) JORGE MARIO BERGOGLIO
LUMEN FIDEI – “The Light of Faith” 5 July 2013
LAUDATO SI’ – “Praised Be” 18 June 2015
Human Dignity
- the state of being worthy of honor or respect.
- the cornerstone or the foundation of Catholic Social Teaching.
Genesis 1:26-27
- it is said that every person is made in the image and likeness of God
The dignity of the human person is rooted in his/her creation in the image and likeness of God.
Imago Dei – Image of God
- The term imago Dei refers most fundamentally to two things: first, God's own self-actualization through
humankind; second, God's care for humankind.
Human life is a gift from God. We are all God's children.
Human person
Created in God’s image and likeness
Endowed with
Dignity, rights and moral duties
Human Person
We are the foundation and goal of society
Dignity of the human person
- We cannot be sacrificed for the sake of scientific research, economic, military, social and political goals.
- Living virtuously than mere possession of rights.
Society
- Refers to a group of persons that are bound together organically by a principle of unity.
- An assembly that is once visible and spiritual, a society endures through time:
- It gathers up the past and prepares for the future.
WHY ARE THERE SOCIETIES?
- People gather together in a society out of common good and friendship.
- Church explains, “It is out of love for one’s own good and for that of others that people come together
in stable groups with the purpose of attaining common good.”
- Society does not always pursue the common good; it can also become oppressive or even totalitarian.
If we are all different, then where does human dignity came from?
- Human dignity emerges from the fact that we are created in the living image and likeness of God, our
Creator, and as such called and invited us to eternal life.
- Christ, the perfect image of God has recreated our human nature and made possible our union to God
in the Holy Spirit.
What does it mean to be made in the image and likeness of God?
- It means that every human being, as frail and unimportant as he or she may appear to our eyes,
represents God here on earth.
- This means that each person is a unique and individual being
What does it mean to be an “individual”?
- It means being someone who can say “I am” and as an “I” are capable of self-determination and self-
understanding.
- If we are made in the image of God, we are also made in the image of the Holy Trinity; this is made
clear by Saint Augustine.
Sin and social relations
Pride, selfishness, and other sins lead us to focus on ourselves and tempt us to dominate our neighbor.
DOES SIN AFFECT SOCIAL LIFE?
- We speak of sin in its personal and social dimensions. Sin is also social when it affects others (a twofold
wound).
God’s healing grace affects our personal lives, but it also extends to social life, redeeming our human
relationships.
HUMAN DIGNITY, FREEDOM AND EQUALITY
Human dignity as a social principle stems more from love rather than from justice, even though it
requires laws to protect it.
What does the church have to do with this social principle?
- Is the surest guarantee for respecting justice and human rights and for contributing peace.
What is freedom?
Freedom of indifference - Being free from physical constraint or from threat of physical constraint
(chains, force, terror)
Freedom of excellence - Freedom is interior and psychological which we are able to do what we
recognize as good without being tied down by disordered passions, addictions and so on.
EQUALITY
All human beings are equal in the sense that all have the same dignity as creatures made in the image
and likeness of God.
Common Good, Subsidiarity and Solidarity
Permanent or fundamental principles of CST
1. Principle of the Dignity of the Human Person
2. Principle of the Common Good
3. Principle of Subsidiarity
4. Principle of Solidarity
Four Characteristics of Fundamental Principles of CST
1. they have a permanent and universal value although social circumstances change;
2. they refer to the basic, "ultimate and organizational foundations of life in society”
3. the principles form a unity that does not allow for one to be understood apart from the others -
among the principles there exists "reciprocity, complementarities and interconnectedness"
4. the permanent principles are always the reference point for the moral guidance and judgments of CST.
Principle of the Dignity of the Human Person
- “Created in the image and likeness of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all persons
have the same nature and the same origin.”
The most fundamental Catholic Social Teaching principle is the Dignity of the Human Person.
- because each person is created by the image and the likeness of God, and each one has a transcendent
dignity that can never be taken.
Principle of the Common Good
- The common good is a concept that refers to what is beneficial to a community as a whole, as opposed
to the private interests of individuals.
- We must work for social conditions which ensure that every person and every group in society is able to
meet their needs and realize their potential.
Example: Public Parks: Cities maintain parks for all to enjoy, promoting social and recreational space.
Principle of Solidarity
- unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual
support within a group.
- Solidarity is at the same time a principle and a moral virtue. As a principle, it tells us that the human
person, together with the human family, "is obliged to contribute to the common good of society at all
its level."
Example: Refugee Support: Countries provide aid and resettlement for refugees worldwide.
Principle of Subsidiarity
- Subsidiarity is a principle that states that decisions should be made at the lowest level possible, and
that local or subordinate organizations should be responsible for functions they perform well. It's based
on the idea that it's wrong to take from people what they can do on their own.
- The principle of subsidiarity is about how participation and decision-making should be organized.
The Dignity of Human Work
The basis for determining the value of human work is not primarily the kind of work being done but the
fact that the one who is doing it is a person.
What is the Christian understanding of human work?
- Human work is for people not people for work
What is work?
- Work is a characteristic that makes human beings different from the rest of the creatures. It is what
everyone does in order to live. It may be work in the house, filed, office, hospital, building, etc.
- Thus, human work is not only about its purpose (objective sense) but its meaning to the person who
does the work (subjective sense).
Work must be seen primarily in relation to the worker. This is expressed in various ways.
FIRSTLY, WORK IS FOR THE PEOPLE, NOT THE PEOPLE FOR WORK.
- Human work helps develop one's attitudes, skills and values. It brings the family and community
together. It is primarily for people.
SECONDLY, HUMANWORK IS TO BE PRIORITIZED OVER CAPITAL AND PROFIT.
- This is about unjust wage
THIRDLY, THE PEOPLE IS IMPORTANT THAN PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.
- Life is not just about having position and accumulating possession nor achievement and awards. More
important is what we become as a person with all these.
Theology of Work
Jesus taught us about work first and foremost by His examples. He is a man of work and teaches us to
appreciate work.
THE RIGHTS OF WORKERS
1. THE RIGHT TO FAIR REMUNERATION AND INCOME DISTRIBUTION
- Remuneration is the most important means for achieving justice in work relationships.
- The just wage is the legitimate fruit of work.
Classifications of Justice
a. Commutative Justice - It is justice regulated by the private right to enter into a contract. This contract
is based on the principle of equality in give and take.
b. General or Legal Justice - This kind of justice has the community for its subject. Its object, end and
purpose is the common welfare. This type of justice by passing laws favorable to the common good.
c. Distributive Justice - The subject or bearer of the right in this form of justice is the individual in his
relation to the community.
d. Social Justice - Originally commutative justice has been considered as the criterion for determining
the just wage. But as mentioned above, social justice should be the basic of the just wage.
2. THE RIGHT TO STRIKE
- The church recognizes the lawfulness of workers going on strike.
- A strike is a kind of ultimatum and must be used only when all other ways of negotiation have been
exhausted.
It must always conform to certain conditions:
a. It must be a last resort.
b. It must not jeopardize (threaten/put at risk) the common good.
c. It must not harm the welfare of those who are not responsible for the sorry plight (dilemma) of the
workers
3. THE RIGHT TO PROTECTION AND SOCIAL SECURITY
- People cannot live in constant insecurity. They must have security of tenure. Thus, perennial
contractualization of workers is immoral. Workers must be assured of their means of livelihood and of
assistance in moments of need.
What qualities define a human being?
1. We are rational beings
- We can think over a situation before we make our decision and choose our action. “We possess this
self- awareness through our knowing and free willing.”
2. We are relational beings by nature
- We are born in and with the community. We are social beings. It is our nature. We cannot understand
our true “I” without the others. We recognize how others, in some way, influence how we act and feel.
3. We are embodied spirits (sumasakatawang diwa)
- We are human beings with body-soul. It is NOT body then soul or vice versa. There is no point that our
soul exists first or vice versa. The soul and the body are distinct but inseparable.
4. We are historical realities
- We are pilgrims on-the-way, who gradually, become out full selves. In exercising freedom, we decide
for ourselves and form ourselves; in this sense we are our own cause.
5. We are unique, yet fundamentally equal
- We differ in physical appearance. We differ in talents and abilities. Differs in the way we think and
reason out. But we’re called not to seperate, but to be one and united, celebrating each other’s presence
and working together as a community.
