In faithfulness to the gospel and in the context of a growing responsiveness to the challenge

of human development in the world today, the Church has thus committed herself to a

mission of integral evangelization, one in which “(action) on behalf of justice and

participation in the transformation of the world... (are a) constitutive dimension of the

preaching of the Gospel, or in other words, of the Church’s redemption of the human

race...” There are three essential aspects to integral evangelization: evangelizing presence,

building a community of dialogue, and authentic efforts for human development and

liberation through charitable, developmental, and liberationist approaches.

Integral Evangelization

The proclaiming of the Gospel in Word and Sacrament to bring about a personal

conversion that impels one to active involvement in the process of human development

and liberation.

Three aspects:

o Evangelizing Presence

God created us with restless hearts that yearn for him, but many people are

oblivious and focus on his creatures instead.

A conversion experience is necessary to bring them back to God.

Often takes place by encountering the mysterious God through

symbols that manifest His presence

Greatest symbol – human person committed to the Lord; we

become living symbols to evoke a response to God from those

around us.

o Building a Community of Dialogue

Active involvement in both religious and human concerns

comprises/demands interaction and building bridges of dialogue

Communities are important to make people feel like they belong.

o Authentic Efforts for Human Development and Liberation

If the Church does not act out what she preaches, then she preaches an

empty word.

Church’s mission: foster and proclaim the Kingdom of God, to promote

justice, peace and community in a world full of injustices, violence and

alienation

Church is called to be involved in the socio-economic, political realities of

her people precisely to safeguard and uphold the human

Evangelized laity’s active involvement will transform many aspects of

society: family, community, business and politics.

Three approaches of the Church in promoting its social mission:

1. Charitable Approach

Giving donations (ex. Ondoy)

Band-Aid approach; does not last

2. Developmental Approach

Teaching skills to people so that they can help themselves

3. Liberationist Approach

Transforming unjust social structures

Church

A community of believers in the Lordship of Jesus Christ who are committed to carry out

His mission to foster and proclaim the Kingdom of God

Beyond its being a social and political resource, is first and foremost a light that

illumines, a spiritual force that needs to critique the social, political and cultural fields in

order to affirm, denounce, purify, or reinforce in the light of the Word of God

Kingdom of God

Where God reigns

A state wherein justice, brotherhood, family, peace and love is present.

It is here but not fully alive because of the social structures present within society. It is

thus our responsibility to work towards the Kingdom of God. It is not merely in the

future, we are obliged as Christians and as human beings to make it a reality for

everyone.

God also brings about the Kingdom of God through the men and women who have

fought towards the realization of God’s kingdom.

God inspires us through the Holy Spirit and we become active in the Kingdom of

God.

Eight Principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church:

1. Integral Development – Human Dignity and Solidarity

Develop the whole person, not just economically, but culturally, socially

and most importantly, spiritually.

Human Dignity: given by God; persons are created in the image of God

We are brothers and sisters to all; we must care for one another and go

beyond the family

2. Universal Purpose of Earthly Goods and Private Property

The rights of every person to acquire property and plan for the future; take

care of the family

Private property has a social dimension:

Use it to create jobs

Use it to help people who do not have enough goods to survive

3. Social Justice and Love

Development cannot be achieved unless imbued with social justice and

love.

Justice: to give each person his/her due

4. Peace and Active Non-violence

Peace is a harmony in human heart and social order brought about by

justice and the promotion of common good.

Active non-violence can be peaceful persuasive rallies, demonstrations

and the like. Active non-violence requires solidarity of spirit as well as

action.

5. Love of Preference for the Poor

Preferential option for the poor

5. The Value of Human Work

Human work has an ethical value of its own, because the one who works

is the human person

Stewardship over the earth – people labour not only to make the earth

productive but to renew the face of the earth with the Holy Spirit.

There is a spirituality to work because work is a way of sanctification, a

way of discipleship and following one’s vocation as a gift of God.

Labour should be above capital. The person has primacy over things.

Subjective dimension (good working condition, right to union, living

wage) over the objective dimension.

7. Integrity of Creation

Passionate care for our earth and environment

We are stewards but not absolute masters of God’s creation.

8. People Empowerment

Persons are the active and responsible subjects of social life.

The poor must have a sense of victory that they can achieve something.

Three types of justice [part of Social Justice and Love]:

1. Commutative justice

Individuals individuals

Fundamental fairness in all dealings between individuals and groups

2. Distributive justice

State individuals

Allocation of resources by the government so that the basic material needs

of all are met

3. Social justice

Individuals state

Individuals being active in society to promote the common good

Five principles of the Filipino national tradition (p.105):

1. Pagsasarili

The principle of self-reliance

To own oneself

The burning ambition of every Filipino to be his own man; to be a person

in his own right; to make up his own mind

The will to secure for every Filipino the means to develop himself as a

responsible human being.

Brought about by the Spanish colonialism

Implications:

Ownership of that sufficiency of this world’s goods whereby one

can be one’s own man

Pagsasarili rejects the abolition of private property

Pagsasarili rejects the concept of private property as an absolute

right; a right to use, to abuse and not to use

Pagsasarili demands wider distribution of private property

(not to abuse and deprive the majority of the economic base of

human dignity)

Demands the development of the quality of self-reliance

2. Pakikisama

The equitable sharing of goods and services among all who help to

produce those goods or render those services, in the spirit of partnership

The willingness to share with one another the burdens as well as the

rewards of living together.

Helpfulness is expected of everyone but is never forced on anyone

Makisama (helping) and makialam (meddling) – help should be offered

but should wait acceptance

3. Pagkakaisa

National unity

One for all

The building up of an articulated national community through forms of

social organization that are understood, accepted and undertaken by the

people themselves.

Cannot be imposed; we should arrive at it ourselves through a process of

discussion and reasonableness

Freedom means we ought to obey not anyone, but only and always that

person whom we ourselves have chosen and acknowledged as the most

capable of leading us, because we are obeying our own reason

4. Pagkabayani

Patriotism

Total dedication to the nation

The readiness to put the common good of the nation above the private

interest, whether of one’s own person, group or class.

We wish to build up a nation that can make its own distinctive

contribution to the general advancement of the human race.

Ideal of a people united by national consensus (pagkakaisa) to build

together by a neighborly sharing of goods and services (pakikisama) a

society in which every man can develop himself fully as a person self-

possessed (pagsasarili)

5. Pakikipagkapwa-tao

To be a fellow, a friend, of every man provided it be on a basis of equality

Human solidarity

Dedication to the development of one’s own nation, so as to enable it to

participate on free and equal terms in the total development of mankind

No man is an island; he is part of the main

The theology of liberation begins from the viewpoint of the poor and oppressed and calls

for a triple liberation: a total liberation in Christ.

Differentiate the Theology of Liberation from Traditional Theology (p 39):

Traditional theology – one act only: the critical reflection of God’s revelation

Liberation theology – two acts: the first act is the commitment to poor and oppressed,

the second act is the critical reflection of God’s revelation

Explain the messages of the Medellin and Puebla Conferences.

Medellin Conference of 1968

o First conference in 1968

o It was a much more radical conference influenced by Gustavo Gutierrez (father of

Liberation Theology)

o Poverty is an “institutional violence”

o Focus: Option for the Poor (this was an exclusive focus)

o Four points:

Structural injustice

Institutionalized violence

Internal colonialism and neo-colonialism

Church of the poor

The Church denounces material poverty caused by injustice and

sin, and preaches and lives spiritual poverty.

Awakening from the sleep of inhumanity

Conscientization

People become responsible for injustice by remaining passive, by

failing to take courageous and effective action, for fear of sacrifice

and personal risk in doing so.

Triple liberation

Sharpened the issues related to social justice and option for the

poor.

Puebla Conference of 1979

o Focus: Preferential Option for the Poor (this was an inclusive focus)

o A balanced approach to liberating evangelization

Three dimensions of liberation:

Liberation from sinful social structures

Liberation from personal sin

Liberation from human weakness

Conscientization:

To become aware

Paolo Friere’s “Pedadogy of the Oppressed” talks about conscientization coming from:

o Above – the elite must know the situation of the poor

o Below – the poor must be made aware of what it means to be fully human,

because when they get power, they become oppressors themselves.

Difference between orthodoxy and orthopraxis:

Orthodoxy

o Right doctrine and learning and adhering to it

Orthopraxis

o Right action – to liberate people

Difference between “option for the poor” and “preferential option for the poor”:

Option for the poor

o Exclusive

o Help the poor alone

Preferential option for the poor

o Inclusive

o Involves everyone. We love everyone, but the poor need our love the most.

Three groundings of the “option for the poor” (p 71):

Ethical

o Recognition of human solidarity

o When one confronts a situation and a lot of the poor, we cannot help but have a

negative experience of contrast.

Negative experience of contrast – an immediate response to a situation

and a judgment that should not be or is an outrage.

One must have a higher positive ideal of the way things should be.

A negative experience of contrast is always accompanied by a desire to

resist the negativity, even if one does not have the power to change

things.

Scriptural

o The preferential option for the poor comes from the prophets in Jewish writings

and what we know of Jesus’ behavior and message in the New Testament.

o Prophets place concern for the poor ahead of all other religious concerns. Their

message was twofold:

Remember the covenant. Be true to the terms of the covenant.

A message of social justice: a people is only as good as they treat the

weakest in their midst.

Widows

Orphans

Aliens

Theological

o God loves all wholly, even sinners. This is the grounds for the value for every

single human being.

o God’s concern reaches out to those who are deprived.

o God’s love is egalitarian (for everyone) and so we should have that kind of love.

The poor need God’s love more because they are most in need.

Describe each of these characters from the film “Romero.”

Archbishop Romero

o Main character of the story; was first a bookish person who tried his best to stay

away from the social realities of El Salvador; when his best friend Fr. Grande was

killed, it was a turning point for him to promote liberation theology and take

social action against the present social system in El Salvador; was killed in the

end in the heart while giving communion.

Fr. Rutilio Grande SJ

o Archbishop Romero’s close friend; preached God’s word towards the poor and

fought against the social injustices from the beginning; witnessed a massacre

while giving communion but didn’t stop him from preaching the Word and

helping the poor

Fr. Alfonso Osuna SJ

o Never got involved in violence; advocate of liberation; became a victim of

violence by being tortured after the death of Zelada

Fr. Manuel Morantes SJ

o A coward Jesuit who had a conflict between violence and peace; first avoided

getting caught; cared for his people but succumbed to violence to defend his

people

Lucia

o Active in social involvement; posed as a threat to the military so she kidnapped

and killed

Rafael Zelada

o Agricultural minister; was for land reform; was kidnapped by rebels to free

political prisoners; but was eventually killed

Lieutenant Columa – fierce and violent; arrests Romero and tortures Osuna; sticks to his

orders and does not care about anything that goes against his orders

In the mission of integral evangelization, the “pastoral circle” provides a framework for

Christian action and reflection. The “pastoral circle” includes the moments of experience

(insertion), social analysis, theological reflection and action (pastoral planning) – and has

for its goal the deepening of the Christian faith life and spirituality in the context of

liberating Christian praxis in solidarity with the poor and marginalized.

Explain the four parts of the Pastoral Circle (p. 85):

1. Insertion

o Students leave their comfort zones and enter into the lives of poor families in

order to see Christ in them. Students experience with these poor Filipino families

the deprivations of material poverty and have their eyes opened to the experience

of their lives.

2. Social analysis

o The most important part of the pastoral circle

o Students use what they know of their communities that they lived with to

understand and analyze what social structures allowed for the situation that they

lived in.

o Students need to be clear about their own values to do social analysis.

3. Theological reflection

o Reflecting on the socially analyzed situation (second moment) from the point of

view of God’s self-revelation and the Christians’ faith-response.

o What do God’s Word and the Teachings of the Church say about this situation of

social injustice, which in turn also sheds light on this Revelation-Faith?

o Theology of Liberation can be discerned here as the critical reflection on

Christian praxis. “Faith seeking understanding” is no longer enough.

4. Pastoral planning

o Put into action what could be done to change the socially analyzed and

theologically reflected situation of injustice and immerse themselves again in the

community to avoid the “paralysis of analysis.”

o Only a faith that does justice is a true one.

Circle – to avoid forgetting the experience and to avoid becoming detached

Define Consensus and Coercion theories of society. How do they differ? Which theory is

presented in the film “Romero”?

Consensus Theory

o The members of society are seen as united by a common culture, a common

understanding of what the world and society are all about, of what is important

and unimportant in life, of what are the goods and values which the society should

be pursuing.

o The organization of the key institutions of society is seen as society’s attempt to

realize its key values and achieve its major goals.

o Power is exercised in the name of society and in order to promote and protect the

key values of society.

o Power is a tool to defend the status quo.

o Power is the servant of society and its values.

Coercion Theory

o Society is a structure of power and inequality arises from power struggle between

poor and rich.

o Society’s values are ideologies or legitimations imposed upon society by the elite,

propagated through cultural institutions such as the church and schools, enacted

into law, and serving fundamentally to justify the positions of those who hold

wealth and power.

o Institutions are made to enforce the abuse of power and equality.

o Power is a tool to attack the status quo.

o Values are the servants of power.

Why should the rich help the poor, according to Pope Paul VI’s encyclical?

If the rich do not help the poor, the poor will rise up and destroy them.

God will condemn the rich for not helping the poor.

The rich need the poor to become human beings. The poor will save them from becoming

dehumanized.

o Principle of Gratuitousness

Giftedness, graciousness by the poor to the rich

Ex. During immersion, the poor gift us with awareness

Reciprocal – poor and rich help each other to become more human

SECOND LONG TEST

Creation means that everything pertaining to the world has its origin, ground and final

goal in God. Creation is not simply a once-upon-a-time-event but God’s continuing

involvement in the world and its history. As co-creators, we have the responsibility of

cooperating with God’s work of creating a new human person and community. The

doctrine of creation provides a basic faith vision of human dignity, work, development and

liberation.

Discuss Creation in the Old Testament.

The difference between the First and Second Account of Creation in the Book of Genesis,

with specific passages:

The Five Points of a Theology of Creation:

The Four Points for a Faith Value of Creation:

Cite 4 specific environmental problems in the Philippines, and what should be done to solve

these?

Original sin is not only revealed in the Scripture and taught by the Church, but is universal

human experience. The doctrine of original sin includes four dimensions: 1) “the sin of the

world” describing our sinful situation, 2) the “heart of darkness” in us which we experience

in concupiscence, 3) the close relation between original sin and personal sins, and 4) the

shadow side of the universal need of humanity for Jesus Christ as Savior and Liberator.

Original Sin in the Old Testament (specific passages from Genesis 3-11)

Fall of Adam and Eve

Killing of Abel by Cain

The Tower of Babel

Original Sin in the New Testament

St. Paul to the Romans

St. Paul to the Romans

Contemporary understanding of Original Sin

Four components of sinful situations:

Five implications of the contemporary understanding of original sin for a social theology in

the Philippines:

Social sin can be traced back to the personal sin of individuals, the result of the interrelated

actions of many people, not just one person, and its roots are the all consuming desire for

profit and the thirst for power, selfishness. The fundamental option of a community is

being expressed through values by actualizing the redemptive activity of the Lord Jesus

Christ especially through sharing in the Paschal Mystery.

Gregory Baum’s identification of Four Levels of Social Sin that blinds persons to value,

and give concrete examples for each level:

Hormis Mynatty’s “concept of social sin” and relate it to Philippine society. Give concrete

examples:

Pope John Paul’s definition of social sin which he calls “structures of sin”:

How did Pope John Paul II in his encyclical, Redemptor Hominis, demonstrate how Jesus

Christ is essential for a full realization of humanity?

Freedom of Excellence

Its being essential to counteract the effects of original sin and to live a fully moral life:

The Sacred Scriptures offer guidance so that we may enter into full communion with God

and with each other and witness to God’s saving acts: Created in God’s Image; A People of

the Covenant; The Reign of God and Justice; Called to be Disciples in Community; Poverty,

Riches, and the Challenge of Discipleship; and A Community of Hope.

Cite and explain 2 specific bible passages for each of the six Biblical Perspectives, and show

how they promote the theme of justice:

Because in human society there are three basic relationships: of the members to each other,

of the community to the members, and of the members to the community, there are three

species of justice: commutative, distributive and social justice.

Three types of justice and a concrete example from Philippine society:

Commutative / contractual justice

o Fundamental fairness in relationships between individuals or groups

o Individual individual

o Example: Employer/employee relationship

Distributive

o Society individuals

o Society must allocate its resources so that the basic material needs of all are met

o Do NOT write that the society will make people equal. This is not possible.

o The Philippine government is too poor and corrupt to effectively handle

distributive justice.

Social

o Individuals society

o Individuals contribute to society to promote the common good

o 1st part: Common good – let everyone can be everything that they can be

o 2nd part: Society has to allow individuals to get this involvement (many Southeast

Asian countries do not allow this)

o Example: Governments allowing NGOs to do this

Catholic social teaching spells out the basic demands of justice in the human rights of every

person. These fundamental rights: civil and political as well as social and economic, are

prerequisites for a dignified life in the community. These rights are bestowed on human

beings by God and grounded in the nature and dignity of human persons.

Many people are marginalized and powerless. We get our human rights from human dignity

because we are created in the image and likeness of God.

Civil and Political Rights: (Social Justice)

Freedom of speech

o Do not worry about anything you say as long as you say the truth

o Good freedom of speech in the Philippines, except for the journalists that get

killed for speaking the truth

Freedom of worship

o Our choice to worship or not

Freedom of assembly

o Even foreigners can join in rallies

Social and Economic Rights: (Distributive Justice)

Basic material needs

o Rights to life, food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, basic education

o Many people cannot afford to eat three times a day.

o When poor people get sick, they just wait until they cannot wait any more,

because they do not have money to afford a doctor. Then they are brought to the

government hospital.

o Efforts: Pondo ng Pinoy, donations

Right to earn a living

Right to security in the event of sickness, unemployment and sold age

Freedom of speech and immunity from interference on the part of both other people and the

government

Downward cycle of poverty

Less-developed countries are excluded from sharing the riches available in the homeland

How does Philippine Society promote these rights?

Catholic social teaching rests on ten basic principles: Human Dignity, Respect for Human

Life, Association, Participation, Preferential Protection for the Poor and Vulnerable,

Solidarity, Stewardship, Subsidiarity, Human Equality, and the Common Good. These

principles have their counterpart in Filipino national tradition: Pagsasarili, Pakikisama,

Pagkakaisa, Pagkabayani, Pakikipagkapwa-tao. These principles can be the basis for the

renewal and transformation of Filipino culture and society.

10 building blocks of Catholic social teaching and examples in the Philippine context:

Human dignity

Respect for human life

Association

Participation

Stewardship

Subsidiarity

Human equality

Common good

Five principles of Filipino national tradition, and their strengths and weaknesses in Phil

society: (explain each and give examples)

Pagsasarili

o Willingness of the Filipino to develop himself as a responsible human being

o Example: developing ourselves so we can help society

Pakikisama

o Willingness to share with one another both the burdens and rewards of living

together

o Example: treating employees right

Pagkakaisa

o Building up of an articulated national community through forms of social

organizations understood, accepted and undertaken by the people themselves

o Example: NGOs that have feeding programs, medical missions

Pakikipagkapwa-tao

o Human solidarity: Treating the other person as an equal, giving him or her equal

importance as you give yourself that would eventually lead to the total

development of mankind

Pagkabayani

o The readiness to put the common good of the nation above the private interest

o Example: non-corrupt government officials, people who sacrificed to save others

during Ondoy

How are the 5 principles of Filipino national tradition related to the 10 building blocks of

Catholic social teaching? How can they be used to transform Philippine society?