THY 3
UNIT 2
UNIT II – THE SOCIAL MISSION OF THE CHURCH AND THE COMMITMENT OF THE
LAY FAITHFUL
L1:
THE SOCIAL MISSION OF THE CHURCH
STUDY
INTRODUCTION
Am I socially aware?
Am I socially involved?
RESEARCH
POINTS FOR REFLECTION
In the midst of a challenging world, how do we aid for our brethren like the children
portrayed on the painting of Joey Velasco?
When we encounter situations like theirs, how do we feel?
Do we feel a sense of urgency to do something for them?
Are we challenged to get involved with their plight given the resources that we have?
Do we make it a point to realize that as a brother/sister, we have a responsibility to
look after by virtue of common humanity, more so, as Christians?
On the part of the Church, why should she play an active role on the issues of injustices
in the world?
Additional: Hapag ng Pag-asa
ANALYSIS
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
How did the concept of social justice develop over time?
How did Jesus teach social justice?
Does the Church imitate the example of Jesus in responding to pressing social issues?
In what way has she promoted the way of Christ?
How does she make manifest her social mission?
LECTURE
BIBLICAL FOUNDATION – LUKE 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because
he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”
GAUDIUM ET SPES, 1. “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the
men of this age, especially those who are poor in any way afflicted, these are the joys
and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ”
The Church is always mindful of the conditions of the people in society. She has
the mission to proclaim the Gospel not only to those who are privileged and
fortunate in life but also those who are poor, marginalized, deprived, and voiceless in
the society.
SOCIAL ISSUES are also of prime concern of the Church
THE ORIGIN AND FOUNDATION OF THE SOCIAL MISSION OF THE CHURCH ARE
ROOTED IN THE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN TRADITION
SHALOM
YAHWEH is a righteous God in the Old Testament so He encourages His people
as well to become just and righteous in order to realize peace or shalom (over-all
harmony) in His Kingdom.
SHALOM (old testament) – Hebrew word for peace
EIRENE (new testament) – Greek word for peace
Most basic meaning is complete or whole/ statement of completeness or
wholeness
It can refer to a person’s well-being (life is complex and shalom breaks down)
To make complete or restore
JUSTICE
Justice is the virtue which inclines us to give to God and to man what is due to them.
SOCIAL JUSTICE IS CENTRAL TO THE PENTATEUCH
To be the people of God meant to practice justice. A just system was required for
all people, aside from their ethnic origin or social justice.
SOCIAL JUSTICE IS CENTRAL TO THE PROPHETS
The prophets lash out unrelentingly against unjust laws and judges.
o
‘Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes, to turn
aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that
widows may be your spoil, and that you may make the orphans your prey!’ (Isa
10:1f).
RONA VIENNE SILVA
o
‘Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground!
... Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate’ (Amos 5:7, 15).
THE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN TRADITION EXPRESSIONS OF JUSTICE ARE:
SEDEKAH
MISHPAT
HESED
DIKAIOSUNE
SEDEKAH
It means right relationship.
It is manifested by Yahweh in His relationship with Israel and with all things He has
made, and by Israel, in her response of obedience, reverence and faithfulness to God.
The right relationship that God has established demonstrates the way of justice for
human beings in dealing with one another.
The word sedakah also corresponds to Yahweh‘s righteousness. Yahweh shows
his righteousness by keeping the covenant and being the very source of
righteousness. (Ps. 111: 3, 5, 9).
Some terms related to Yahweh‘s sedakah are mercy, compassion and salvation.
It is identical with deliverance and salvation, describing it as associated to a norm
established by God.
MISHPAT
It depicts the forensic nature of justice.
It is justice based on the context of the failure of the right relationship.
This is where Yahweh refuses injustice because the right relationship is being
violated.
It is also a court of law wherein the accused is punished, and the victim is
vindicated.
Yahweh is a judge who punishes the wicked one and rewards the righteous one.
Thus, He corrects wrongdoings in order to restore right relationship.
The arbiter, the King-God, secures order in the community by applying the mishpat.
It implies deliverance for those who are just and innocent, but harsh for the wicked
and sinful.
HESED
It is often translated as loving kindness. Other translations are steadfast love,
mercy and compassion.
Hesed is the expression of loving kindness in the Kingdom of Yahweh.
Yahweh‘s hesed is manifested in His everlasting love for Israel. (Ps. 25: 6, Jer. 31:
3), remaining faithful in spite of Israel‘s unfaithfulness (Hos. 2), and showing
compassion and mercy for her sins (Isa. 54: 8).
Yahweh is the epitome and example of doing hesed to others.
MICAH 6:8. “What Is it the Lord requires of us?
(1) ONLY TO DO JUSTICE
(2) TO LOVE MERCY
(3) TO WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD
NEW TESTAMENT. Jesus Christ proclaims that the Kingdom of God is already at
hand and the Beatitudes are the ways to attain its fullness.
OLD TESTAMENT. Emphasized the external actions we need to follow.
NEW TESTMANT. Emphasized internal dispositions we need to have.
The BEATITUDES OF JESUS are also considered as expressions and ways to realize
the right relationship in the Kingdom of God. The Beatitudes of Jesus Christ according
to Matthew 5: 3-10:
o
Blessed are you Poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
o
Blessed are you Hungry, you shall be satisfied.
o
Blessed are you that Weep, you shall laugh.
o
Blessed are those Mourn, they shall be comforted.
o
Blessed are the Meek, they shall inherit the earth.
o
Blessed are the Merciful, they shall obtain mercy.
o
Blessed are Pure in Heart, they shall see God.
o
Blessed are the Peacemakers, they shall be called children of God.
Jesus‘ initial proclamation of the justice of God ― to bring good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the
oppressed go free and announce the Lord‘s year of mercy/favor (Lk. 4: 18-19)
resonates the prophet Isaiah‘s announcement of God giving ― justice to His people
(Is. 60: 21; 61: 1-3).
Jesus‘ proclamation of the Kingdom of God also entails renewal and righteousness
by witnessing the Gospel.
God reigns where the divine will is done.
o
The Lord‘s Prayer in Luke 11: 2-4 are petitions for the coming of God‘s
Kingdom and for the doing of the divine will.
o
The right situation is doing justice to humankind for it is the one willed by
God.
The Gospel shows in an abundance of texts that Jesus was not indifferent or
extraneous to the problem of the dignity and rights of the human person, nor to the
needs of the weakest, the neediest, and the victims of injustice.
Jesus‘ concern was not limited to the forgiveness of sins: At all times He stressed
a real solidarity with the poorest and lowliest (Matthew 11:28-30). He cured the
sick, lepers and blind men, and many more. He fed thousands of hungry people. He
personally took upon Himself the description of the Suffering Messiah as foretold by
Isaiah.
DIKAIOSUNE
Jesus’ invitation to strive first for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:
33) is basically relational.
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The Greek word dikaiosune can be rendered righteousness or justice.
The metaphor of the Kingdom of God embodies the way God relates with people and
sheds light on the word dikaiosune as the manner by which God wants to be ―king
or as to be the divine will is followed.
CHRIST’S ACTIVE ROLE IN THE SOCIETY
CHRIST AS A TEACHER
Christ’s teaching gives emphasis on ‘persons’ over
the law, and on the virtues of justice and charity over
the legal code. (Luke 10:25-37)
CHRIST PREACHES THE
KINGDOM OF GOD.
1.
2.
3.
CHRIST AS A LIBERATOR
Christ heals and liberates people both from physical and
spiritual illness.
Calls people for metanoia (conversion of heart)
Conversion which is non-violent
Hopeful preparation for its realization in the
future.
Christ’s liberation is also at the same time a restoration
(personal and communal).
The Church continues to struggle for the realization of the Kingdom of God through
ongoing renewal and consistent propagation of the Gospel through words and deeds.
The social mission of the Church is rooted in the ministry and mission of Jesus
Christ to love and serve by promoting and protecting the wellbeing of the human
persons.
Just like the mission of Jesus Christ, the mission of the Church to the society is
threefold: Kingly, Priestly and Prophetic.
KING
the whole world, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and
on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father (Phil 2:10–11).
All men and women are called by God to faith and baptism in Jesus Christ.
B. TRUTHFUL TOLERANCE
The Declaration on Religious Freedom of Vatican II, Dignitatis Humanae, cast a
new light.
The human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that:
o
All men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or social
groups and of any human power
o
No one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs
o
Not to be restrained from acting in accordance with his own beliefs, whether
privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due
limits.
C. FIDELITY TO PROCLAIM THE KINGDOM OF GOD
The Church, endowed with the gifts of her founder and faithfully observing his
precepts of charity, humility and self-denial, received the mission of proclaiming and
establishing among all peoples the Kingdom of Christ and of God, and she is, on earth,
the seed and the beginning of that Kingdom.
The Church‘s mission is the same as it was yesterday, today, and tomorrow: to
evangelize the whole world. ―It is the duty of the Church, therefore, in her preaching
to proclaim the Cross of Christ as the sign of God‘s universal love and the source of
all grace.
THREEFOLD MISSION OF THE CHURCH TO THE SOCIETY
One‘s commitment to serve others through active participation to
integral human development.
PRIEST
Our capacity to pray for one another and our ability to establish a
deeper relationship with God through prayer and worship.
PROPHETIC
Proclaiming peace founded on truth, built according to justice,
integrated by charity and practiced in freedom.
THE CHURCH & THE QUESTIONS OF ‘JUST RELATIONS’ AMONG PEOPLE
The Church in the Philippines has been known as the forerunner of truth and
justice among the Filipinos regardless of ethnicity, gender and religion.
It is not to be identified with any political partisan in order to become a credible
herald of peace, justice and truth; and proponent of unawa (understanding), awa
(mercy) and gawa (deeds) among people particularly the marginalized.
DUC IN ALTUM
“Put out into the deep” – LK. 5:4
(1) Each Catholic is a missionary
(2) He/she is immersed and conscious of the signs of the times making him/her
capable of bringing people closer to the Kingdom of God.
(3) Like the apostles of Jesus Christ, we are also fishers of men by witnessing to
our faith.
AGENTS OF TRANSFORMATION
SHALOM – Goal
JUSTICE – Way
SEDAKAH, MISHPAT, HESED, AND DIKAIOSUNE – Expressions
AS AGENT OF HOPE AND TRANSFORMATION
Christ commanded his disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
(Matthew 28:19).
o
It is through baptism that members of the Christian community ―are called
to a holiness of life in the world befitting disciples of Jesus.
DISCIPLESHIP is the fundamental vocation in which the Church's mission and
ministry find full meaning.
o
As disciples of Jesus, we are called into communion with both God and others
and are sent in mission to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom.
The Synod of Bishops spoke about the relation between the Gospel and justice:
―Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully
appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel.
o
The Church fulfills her mission of preaching the Gospel when it teaches the
demands of justice.
RESPONDING TO THE DEMANDS OF OUR CONTEMPORARY COMMUNITIES
A. THE FACT OF RELIGIOUS PLURALISM
The Church recognizes and defends the fundamental dignity of man to be free from
coercion in matters religious.
The Church position on religious pluralism: All men are called in freedom to Jesus
Christ and to his Church, which has a divine mission, indeed a mandate, to evangelize
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The covenant is an expression of Yahweh’s willingness to reach out to
His people. In fact, by the covenant, Yahweh makes himself bound to fulfil his
promises to His people.
o
In turn, the covenant becomes the people’s assurance that Yahweh will
never abandon them.
MOSES – Moreover, “there comes from the Decalogue a commitment that concerns
not only fidelity to the one true God, but also the social relations among the people of
the Covenant… The gift of freedom and the Promised Land, and the gift of Covenant
on Sinai and the Ten Commandments are therefore intimately linked to the practices
which must regulate, in justice and solidarity, the development of Israelite society.
A society that wishes and intends to remain at the service of the human being at
every level is a society that has the common good – the good of all the people and of
the whole society – as its primary goal.
In the diversity of cultures, the natural law unites peoples, enjoining common
principles. Since something of the glory of God shines on the face of every person,
the dignity of every person before God is the basis of the dignity of man before other
men.
o
L2:
NATURE OF THE SOCIAL TEACHING OF THE CHURCH
STUDY
INTRODUCTION
What is the Social Teachings of the Church?
How do we understand the Social Teachings of the Church?
ANALYSIS
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What is the essence of the Catholic Social Teachings considering the Church’s Social
Mission?
LECTURE
NATURE OF THE SOCIAL TEACHING OF THE CHURCH
The Social Teaching of the Church is at the core of Christianity. It needs to be
pointed out that Jesus is an active agent in the renewal of the Society.
His proclamation of the Kingdom of God means that certain practices in the community
would even have to be renewed in order to show to the people that indeed God’s reign
is at hand, even if at the same time, it cannot be fully fulfilled in the present.
1. THE TRUTH OF FAITH
The First Christians were true followers of Christ in the sense that they have
endeavored to persevere in the ministry that Christ has started. This is especially
shown in their commitment to equality, respect and love for each other.
Moreover, decisions in their communities are done “in remembrance” of the memory
of Christ.
The Middle Ages Church, despite the infamous abuses of some members of the
hierarchy and the clergy, remains faithful to Christ’s call to bring about the reign of
love in our communities.
Important thinkers in the Middle Ages especially Thomas Aquinas continues to talk
about justice and charity for the poor.
The challenge to aid the needy in the community has become more pressing with the
emergence of modern ideologies that were brought about mainly by the Industrial
Revolution.
Capitalism and Socialism were two ideologies that were both supposedly aimed at
improving the conditions of every person’s life. However, because of their neglect to
talk about God in their endeavours, they have instead also contributed to the
increasing problems of poverty and injustice in the community.
Hence, the modern social encyclicals were Catholic contributions to the talk about
human flourishing pointing out especially the important points from these two
ideologies.
The Catholic Church has issued important documents in order to officially
announce its stand on pertinent social issues that confront our communities at
particular moments in history.
These are Catholic contributions to the talk about human flourishing based on
important principles such as the dignity of the human person, subsidiarity, solidarity
and the preferential option for the poor.
Moreover, each of these documents, while sensitive to the historical conditions of
particular times, are grounded in the Tradition of the Church that finds its beginning in
the person and ministry of Jesus Christ.
NATURE OF THE SOCIAL TEACHING
Emphasis on the Human
Celebrates Humanity
Promotion of Justice
Person as Imago Dei
and our
according to God’s Plan
Interconnectedness
A. THE HUMAN PERSON AS THE IMAGE OF GOD
Church’s understanding of human dignity - is the conviction that the human person
occupies a central role in the creation of God, and that the human person is the only
creature that is created in the image and likeness of God, and is the only creature
that has the capacity for God.
Human dignity is a core-concept in the social teaching of the Church. The
Church believes that the human dignity is a concept that is both inviolable and
inalienable, that is, it can never be compromised regardless of the circumstances and
consequences of the action.
The apex of the affirmation of human dignity is the coming of Christ. Christ
embraces humanity through the mystery of Incarnation, which affirms that humanity
is central to God’s plan.
o
The centrality of the dignity of the human person is even highlighted
more with the Paschal Mystery of Christ. He showed us that the cross
is not a meaningless symbol, but is rather a testimony of God’s love.
B. CELEBRATING OUR SHARED HUMANITY, OUR HUMAN INTERCONNECTEDNESS
Yahweh’s covenant with Abraham and the people of Israel is Yahweh’s own initiative
and gift which is even beyond what humanity deserves.
RONA VIENNE SILVA
C. TOWARDS A JUST AND HUMANE SOCIETY ACCORDING TO GOD’S PLAN
God destined the earth and all it contains for all men and peoples so that all created
things would be shared fairly by all mankind under the guidance of justice (CSDC,
165).
The principle of the Universal Destination of Goods is an invitation to develop an
economic vision inspired by moral values that permit people not to lose sight of
the origin or purpose of these goods, so as to bring about fairness and solidarity.
Everyone has the right to enjoy the conditions of social life that are brought about by
the quest for the conditions of social life that are brought about by the quest for the
common good.
Pope Pius XI: ‘the distribution of created goods, which, as every discerning person
knows, is labouring today under the gravest evils due to the huge disparity between
the few exceedingly rich and the unnumbered property less, must be effectively called
back to and brought into conformity with the norms of the common good, that is, social
justice. This then prompts the Church to call for a more just distribution of the world’s
wealth (CSDC 171).
o
Man, then, must never forget that his capacity to transform and in a certain
sense create the world through his own work… is always based on God’s prior
and original gift of the things that are.
2. THE PARADIGM OF LOVE AND JUSTICE VERSUS THE WAY OF VIOLENCE
Love is the most identifying value of the Church's social teaching. It is what
makes us uniquely Christians. It is, in fact, unachievable without grace, but the
grace is freely supplied to the willing, which is grace itself.
A. THE WAY OF LOVE AND JUSTICE
In the Church’s perspective, love as a value is “the highest and universal criterion
of the whole of social ethics.” (CSDC, 171)
“From the inner wellspring of love the values of truth, freedom, and justice are born
and grow. Love is what makes us able to see the other as a friend, as another self, so
that the needs and requirements of others seem as one's own.” (CSDC, 205)
Love presupposes and transcends justice. This means that love builds upon
justice just like grace builds upon nature.
o
For what happens when love meets justice, look at the cross of Christ, the cross
of Christ which is our law. Without justice, there is no love. Without justice, love
does not survive. Justice is the prerequisite of love. Justice is fulfilled by love.
o
Kant insisted that, in justice, the law of punishment was a categorical imperative
which admitted no exception. For if justice goes, there is no longer any value in
human beings living on the earth. Kant is entirely correct. A world without
justice is, to be sure, too horrible to behold.
However, a world with justice but without love is equally as bad or worse. Human
relationships cannot be governed solely by the measure of justice. The prophet
Malachi tells us that God requires more than doing justice. He requires us to love
mercy and to walk humbly with Him (Malachi 3:3).
Summum ius, summa iniuria was a Roman maxim mentioned by Cicero. It is a
brilliant, ambiguous saying which can be translated, “extreme justice is the greatest
injustice,” or an "extreme justice is an extreme wrong.
Here is a truly radical challenge: to take love, which, as St. Thomas mentions in his
Summa Theologiae, is the form of the virtues, and to socialize it or institutionalize
it into social and political charity. This task is the modern challenge of our time.
Social charity makes us love the common good. It makes us effectively see the good
of all people, considered not only as individuals or private persons but also in the social
dimension that unites them. (CSDC, 207)
We need a new world order that is grounded not only on secular values but on
Christian love, on social and political charity, which is identical with solidarity, i.e., a
direct demand of human and Christian brotherhood.
o
Social and political charity is not exhausted in relationships between
individuals, but extends to the network formed by communal relationships, which
is precisely the social and political community; it intervenes in this context seeking
the greatest good for the community in its entirety. (CSDC, 208)
B. VERSUS THE WAY OF VIOLENCE
The Church does not approve the use of violence and the use of arms because it
is aware that violence only leads to more violence, which often results only in new
forms of oppression.
Violence is never a proper response. The Church proclaims that violence is evil,
that violence is unacceptable as a solution to problems, that violence is unworthy of
man.
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Violence is a lie, for it goes against the truth, the truth of our humanity. Violence
destroys what it claims to defend: the dignity, the life, the freedom of human beings.
C. UNDERSTANDING ‘CRITICAL COLLABORATION’ WITH THE STATE
The Church recognizes its autonomy from the State. However, many understand
this to mean that the Church should not be involved in political issues, or with
politicians and public policies. This is not the meaning of the separation of Church
and State.
A. FROM SEPARATION
WHAT REALLY IS THE MEANING OF THIS SEPARATION? THERE ARE THREE MAIN IDEAS:
the state has no
official religion
the state should not
discriminate
any
religion; and
the Church should not
control or dominate any
religious group, the police or
armed unit of the State.
The principle of the separation of Church and State is a reaction to some medieval
arrangement of church-sponsored religions or a State persecution of some
undesirable religions.
In order to respect the autonomy of the Church, the State shall not establish one
religion as the religion of the State.
It shall not favor one religion over the other.
It shall foster the freedom of all religious beliefs and should not interfere with their
practices unless these actions become detrimental to public order.
In order to respect the autonomy of the State, the Church prohibits its ministers
and priests to run for public office or, if they do, they should resign from their
ministry as priests.
This is also done in order to guard the Church’s role as agent of unity as
exemplified in a community of different political persuasions.
Separation of Church and State does not mean, however, that the Church and its
ministers cannot take a stand on social, economic and political issues affecting the
welfare of the people.
And, if taking sides on these issues necessitates choosing one candidate over
another, the Church can encourage its members to pursue their own options to
address the situation according to its moral values.
In the end, it is the individual Christian who decides based on his or her own
conscience, not its leaders or ministers.
B. TO COOPERATION
Using a bicycle, one can surely reach his or her destination if the two wheels are
consistent in moving to the same direction. The same is true with the relationship
between the Church and State, i.e., both have the same goal of reaching the common
good and realizing the Kingdom of God.
The distinction between the Church and the State does not imply a complete
separation, nor does it mean that the Church should restrict her activity to the private
and spiritual sphere.
Certainly the Church “cannot and must not replace the State. Yet at the same time
she cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice.” (Benedict CVI,
Deus Caritas est)
The Church has the right and the duty “to teach her social doctrine, to exercise her
role freely among men, and also to pass moral judgment in those matters which
regard public order when the fundamental rights of the human person or the salvation
of souls require it.” (Gaudium et Spes, 76)
Both the Church and those who govern society are seeking to serve mankind
(although under different titles), and they “will carry out this service with greater
efficacy, for the good of all, the healthier and better is the cooperation between them.”
(CSDC, 425)
Paradigms
The Way of
Love and
Justice
Way of Violence
Critical Collaboration
with the State
Separation
Cooperation
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