4th Year First Term End Exam Reviewer

8/4/2019 4th Year First Term End Exam Reviewer

1/6

4th

year First Term End Exam Reviewer

Christian Living

I. Nature and Mission of the Church

a. The Church is

- A sign and instrument ofcommunion with God

- a mother and teacher that evangelizes, bringing happiness to humanityo it encourages everyone to do the same

We are saved but not yet

We need our society and our society needs us.

We are responsible for our society.

A natural aspect or duty of relational beings

By baptism, it becomes a requirement

- A sacrament of salvation

b. Gods Plan

- Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing

that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful, multiply and subdue

the earth." (Gen.1:28)

o Multiply: implies the social relationships of Mano Fertility: Using ones talents and gifts for the benefit of others and ones self

o Subdue: Using of resources to promote life and good being

- Relation Ships

o God owns the earth, Man is merely a steward of the Earth

o There lies a fellowship between God and Man

o This is the peaceable kingdom or shalom/salaam in Hebrew

- The entire story of our redemption is actually a plan born in the Father's heartIn #759 of the CCC

o The eternal Father, in accordance with the utterly gratuitous and mysterious design of his

wisdom and goodness, created the whole universe and chose to raise up men to share in his own

divine life," to which he calls all men in his Son.

- The Bible and Church Teachings tell us that God created the world and all that is in it

o Bible starts with In the beginning...Gen.1:1-3; implying Gods ownership of everything- Tradition of the Church holds that the world was created for the glory of God:

o the glory of God is man fully alive

o Ultimate purpose of Gods creation: that all may be one

- Church Teaching on Creation: Concerns the very foundation of human and Christian life

o The ultimate questions of man in view of his origin

Where do we come from?

What is our origin?

What is our end?

- God upholds and sustains creation

o God is the source of wisdom, freedom, joy etc., hence man is dependent to his creator.

- God loves the whole of creation

- Contrasting Views of Creation:o CREATIONIST VIEW/THEORY---God is the source and author of all created beings

o EVOLUTIONIST VIEW/THEORYNatural process of things, the world developed from a complex

organic molecule

- The Church- foreshadowed from the world's beginning: CCC#760 explicitly wrote: Christians of the first

centuries said, "The world was created for the sake of the Church." God created the world for the sake of

communion with his divine life, a communion brought about by the "convocation" of men in Christ, and this

"convocation" is the Church.

- Definition of Church:


2/6

o Latin ecclesia and.

o Greek ek-kalein meaning to call out; convocation or assembly

o Greek: Ekklesia: assembly of the Chosen People before God, above all in Mt. Sinai where Israel

received the law.

o German Kirche what belongs to the Lord

o First Christian communities by calling itself church recognized itself as heir to that

- In Christian usage: church:o 1. Liturgical Assembly

o 2. Local Community

o 3. The Whole Universal Community of Believers

o These three meanings are inseparable.

- The Church as people of God

o Born from Gods will to communicate and share his life with us.

o The communion of mankind and the Church are called to live as a gift from God.

o Jesus became man in all things except sin to reveal the Fathers plan for His people, and enable

humanity to know and love God.

o Jesus revealed our mission after He reconciled us with the Father:

1. To live in communion with God

2. To live peaceably with one another.o Jesus too gave us His Spirit: for us to live and share the new life with God.

o The mysterious and active presence of Christ in his Church through his Spirit is a guarantee that

she will succeed in accomplishing the mission entrusted to her.

c. CHURCH MISSION:

- 1. She is destined for the realization of the kingdom of God

- 2. She is called to become the sign and instrumentof unity in the world. Hence, we, as the Church ourselves

should be the Light of the world and the salt of the earth

- 3. As a people of God we are called to grow and develop in the community of the Church. We should live

with the whole Church in unity, in truth, and in love (GS24)

- 4. The Church aims for that unity which Christ prayed that all may be one and died for on the cross.

- 5. The perfection of this unity is Jesus who offered himself and all of humanity to the Father which brings us

our salvation.- 6. Thus the Church and all its works can only find their meaning in this same light of unity.

d. Key Points on Church Nature

- The Church as a community is not just a group of people in society with a law and authority, but a social

group of people who have God as their own source of being and existence.

- As a group, the Church is the visible and a spiritual body of Christ, in which one is part of the whole Body of

Christ, and all its members relate as brothers and sisters.

- Mission of the Church: to bring all of humanity back to God, to become one race, one nation, one people,

Gods family and heirs to Gods kingdom.

o Church response to the generosity of God:

- Faith, Hope and Love.

o Faith here is a growing desire for God and makes God and His will the basis by which one makes

his choices in life. It demands risks to trust in the Lord, who becomes the light that guides theperson from within.

o Love is the risk that gives life; that which chooses freely, to be with God and for God. It

transforms a person to be more like God in every sense of the word.

o Unity:

demands truth and mutual sharing so that our relationship will become more and more

that of the Holy Trinity.


3/6

implies dialogue where each one brings his grain of truth with the sincerity of heart and

the honesty to contribute towards the finding of the greater Truth present in their

midst.

also means a joyful acceptance of differences and diversity.

- The Church does not live for itself. It is called to be a sign and instrument of unity in the world. By their life

and work in the world, all the members of the Church are called to proclaim witness to Christ and the Good

News and bring others to the same l ife and love of God.- Pope John Paul II: The Phillippine Church has a special missionary vocation to proclaim the Good News to

carry the light to the nations, a definite mission to the other people of Asia (PCPII 106)

II. Social Justice

a. Scriptural Basis for Social Justice

i. Old Testament:

- Exodus 22:21-28: The Code of the Covenant which tells us to be always compassionate to the poor, the

oppressed, and the marginalized.

- Psalms 146:7-8, Ps 72:12-14: Yahweh showed how He serves as the protector and defender of the poor

and the oppressed and the outcast too.

- Prophet Amos 5:11-13; 4:1-3; 6:4-7: Describes the scandalous luxury of the rich, which was built on the

misery of the poor. The rich do not have the slightest concern for the breakdown of the covenant and since

they are the first in the society, they would also be first into exile.- Prophet Isaiah 1:11-17; 3:12-24: Announces the true meaning of religion and that is to desist(stop) from

oppressing the poor and the defenceless. He also announces his mission of bringing glad tidings to the

lowly.

ii. New Testament:

- Gospel ofLuke: Among the four evangelists, St. Luke is the champion of the poorof the anawim.

- In the story of the Good Samaritan, he tells us that everyone without exception must help those in need

even if you were the least expected to render help.

- In the parable of the Rich Fool, he criticizes mans inordinate attachment to wealth. Luke does not actually

say that wealth itself is evil. It only becomes a hindrance to ones being humble before God and to ones

always being ready to help the needy.

- In the story ofLevi and of Zaccheus, Luke shows us that it is not impossible or too difficult for the rich to

help the poor. Also, this story of Zaccheus teaches that the rich should take the opportunity to give back to

the poor, especially if their wealth is ill-gotten.

b. Church Documents

- NCDP 305 (National Catechetical Directory of the Philippines): While faithful to her basic primary mission of

evangelization, the Church never dissociates herself from the temporal problems of her members.

She remains close to the poor and the suffering.

She longs for justice and peace, and she concerns herself with the concrete needs of the faithful.

It is thus, the churchs spiritual mission that makes the Church concern herself with concrete

reality of daily life and make everyone realize that this world willed by God is a world of justice.

- NCDP 312: Justice remains the first demand of love. It is the practical expression of love in a finite

individualistic notation of charity.

The poor should not be exploited by the rich and those who are in power

c. Civil Law

- 1987 Constitution, ARTICLE XIII - SOCIAL JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

o Section 1. The Congress shall give highest priority to the enactment of measures that protect and

enhance the right of all the people to human dignity, reduce social, economic, and political

inequalities, and remove cultural inequities by equitably diffusing wealth and political power for

the common good. To this end, the State shall regulate the acquisition, ownership, use, and

disposition of property and its increments.

o Section 2. The promotion of social justice shall include the commitment to create economic

opportunities based on freedom of initiative and self-reliance.


4/6

d. Catholic Social Teachings

- A body of social principles and moral teaching articulated in the papal, conciliar and other official

documents issued in the late 19th century and deals with the economic, political and social order.

- Usually given through encyclicals

o Pastoral letters written by or in collaboration with the pope about faith and morals

Encyclical English Translation Description

Rerum Novarum (Condition of Labour) Lays out rights and responsibilities of capital and labourUpholds the right to private propertyCondemns atheistic communism, affirms dignity of workCalls for the protection of the weak and the poor through the pursuit ofjustice

Quadragesimo Anno (Reconstruction of the

Social Order)

Condemns the effects of greed and concentrated political and economicpowerProposes social organisation be based on principle of subsidiarity

Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) Focus on human rights as basis for peaceCalls for disarmamentStates need for world-wide institution to promote and safeguard universalcommon good

Gaudium et Spes (Church in the Modern

World)

Recognition that church immersed in the world

Condemns povertyWarns about threat of nuclear warBuild structures to uphold justice and peace

Populorum Progressio (Progress/Development of

Peoples)

Focuses on human developmentthe new name for peaceCondemns situations contributing to global povertyCalls for new international organisations and agreements to promotejustice and peace

Octegesima Adveniens (Call to Action) Calls for political response to economic injusticeDevelops role of local churches in response to unjust situationsParticipation in social and political reforms

Justice in the World Action for justice key dimension of preaching the gospel

Evangelii Nuntiandi (Evangelization in the

Modern World)

Links work of doing justice with evangelisationGospel seen as liberation from oppressive cultures

Laborem Exercens

(On Human Work) Affirms dignity of work and of workerAffirms rights of labourCalls for workplace justice

Meaning of work can be understood if dignity of labor is its underlyingpremise or principle

Solicitudo Rei Socialis (Social Concerns of the

Church)

Option for the poor as a central tenet of Church teachingdevelops notions of solidarity, structures of sin and social mortgage onpropertySuggests resources for arms race be used to alleviate human miseryNature must be considered in development, leading humanity to thefullness of being.

Peace with God the

Creator

Ecological crisis - moral crisis facing humanityRespect for nature and ecological responsibility - key tenet of faithIntegrity of creation to be upheldEcological education - nurture new global solidarity including nature

- Key PrinciplesHuman Dignity Human beings are created in the image of God and, therefore, are endowed with dignity.

This inherent dignity carries with it certain basic rights and responsibilities which areexercised within a social framework.

The Common Good While the dignity of the human person is affirmed, individuals live in common with othersand the rights of individuals must be balanced with the wider common good of all. Therights and needs of others must be always respected.

Solidarity Human beings are social by nature and do not exist merely as individuals. Whenconsidering the human community it must be remembered that it consists of individualsand social elements.


5/6

Subsidiary Recognises that society is based on collectives or communities of people ranging fromsmall groups or families. This principle affirms that a higher level community should notinterfere in the life of a community at a lower level of social organisation.

Social Order The social order must uphold the dignity of the human person.

Purpose of Government The purpose of government is the promotion of the common good. Governments are

required to actively participate in society to promote and ensure social justice and equity.

Participation Individuals and groups must be enabled to participate in society.

Universal Purpose of Goods The worlds goods are meant for all. Although the Church upholds the right to privateproperty this is subordinate to the right to common use and the overall common good.There is a social mortgage on private property.

Option for the Poor This refers to seeing the world through the eyes of the poor and standing with the poor insolidarity. This should lead to action for justice with and on behalf of those who are poorand marginalised.

e. Encyclicals by Pope Benedict XVI- 1. Deus Caritas Est

o Talks about love

Eros Love that takes from another. Downgraded to animal instinct if not for Christian

spirituality

Agape Love that takes from another. Thought to be Christian Love

Logos word, thought, speech, principle, logic

- 2. Spe Salvi

o In Hope We are Saved

o tried to make a link between these two Christian concepts to the theological virtue of faith by

analyzing the Greek and Latin translation. Benedict traces here the relationship between the

Christian concept of hope and redemption.

- 3. Caritas in Veritate

o Charity in Truth

o Concerned with global development and progress towards the common good

Says that both love and truth are essential elements of an effective response

III. Social Sins/ Sinful Structures

a. Fundamental Option

- Basic attitude towards life based on a pattern of Good and Bad actions

- Can change between good and bad, and whenever that happens, its a life changing event

o Called conversion

b. Reality and Meaning of Sin

- Sin

o an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience, a failure in genuine love for God and

neighbor, an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the external law, or an offense against

God caused by a false love of selfo turns us away from God in either COMISSION (doing something bad) or OMMISION (not doing

good)

- Dimensions of Sin

o Spiral an act that grows within us, eventually affecting other people

o Sickness the state of sin. One is sick if you commit or are in the state of sin and can only be

healed with Gods forgiveness/Confession

o Addiction A sin that grows in severity. Anything that results in the powerlessness of the

committer falls under here


6/6

- Individual Sin: Done by one person only

- Social Sin: acts that affect other people

o Starts from self-centeredness

o Anything that attacks Human Rights, dignity, relationships, and freedom

o Examples would be prostitution, war, exploitation, destruction

- Sinful Structures

o Patterns of human interactions involving sino Factors

Secularism (ignoring God)

Proliferation of Mass Media

Weakening Sense of Sin

Consumerism

Imbalances in the World (Rich/Poor)

o From here, we get 7 social sins

1) politics without principle

2) wealth without work

3) commerce without morality

4) pleasure without out a conscience

5) education without discipline 6) science without humanity

7) worship without sacrifice

o According to the Vatican, we get

1. ``Bioethical' violations such as birth control

2. ``Morally dubious'' experiments such as stem cell research

3. Drug abuse

4. Polluting the environment

5. Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor

6. Excessive wealth

7. Creating poverty