THEOLOGY 4:

• LIVING THE CHRISTIAN VISION IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD:

UNIT 3: Harmony with all Creation

Laudato Si
Justice for Creation
 Laudato si' (Medieval Central Italian for "Praise Be to You") is
the second encyclical of Pope Francis. The encyclical, dated 24
May 2015, was officially published at noon on 18 June 2015.

On Care for Our Common Home (Laudato Si') is the appeal

from Pope Francis addressed to "every person living on this
planet" for an inclusive dialogue about how we are shaping
the future of our planet.

Pope Francis calls the Church and the world to acknowledge

the urgency of our environmental challenges and to join him in
embarking on a new path. This encyclical is written with both
hope and resolve, looking to our common future with candor
and humility.
(§§3-6)

• Places his vision in

continuity with his papal
predecessors

(§§7-9)

• In harmony with non-

Catholic religions and
secular thinkers
More than fifty years ago, with
the world teetering on the brink He addressed his message, Pacem in
of nuclear crisis, Pope Saint John Terris, to “the entire Catholic World”,
XXIII wrote an Encyclical which and indeed “to all men and women
not only rejected war but
offered a proposal for peace. of good will”.
In 1971, Saint Pope
Paul VI referred to
the ecological
concern as “a tragic
consequence” of
unchecked human
activity.
“Due to an ill-considered
exploitation of nature, humanity
runs the risk of destroying it and
becoming in turn a victim of this
degradation”. (Octogesima
Adveniens 21)

He spoke in similar terms to the

Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United
Nations about the potential for
an “ecological catastrophe under
the effective explosion of
industrial civilization”, and
stressed “the urgent need for a
radical change in the conduct of
humanity”.
 At the same time,
he noted that
Saint John Paul II little effort had
in his first been made to
Encyclical warned “safeguard the
that human moral conditions
beings frequently for an authentic
seem “to see no
other meaning in
human ecology”.
their natural (Centesimus
environment than Annus, 38)
what serves for
immediate use
and
consumption”.
 The destruction of the human environment is
extremely serious, not only because God has
entrusted the world to us men and women, but
because human life is itself a gift which must be
defended from various forms of debasement.

Every effort to protect and improve our world

entails profound changes in “lifestyles, models of
production and consumption, and the established
structures of power which today govern
societies”.
(Centesimus Annus, 58)
Pope Francis, LS no. 3

• “Now, faced as we are with

global environmental
deterioration, I wish to
address every person
living on this planet .... I
would like to enter into
dialogue with all people
about our common home”
POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Pollution, waste and the throw-away culture

Pollution is tied to the “throw-away culture.”

 1st - ALL of us are affected –
there is already a CLIMATE
EMERGENCY

Why is
Laudato Si 2nd - Because we are the ones
Addressed to responsible or accountable to
“every person the present and future
living in this children/generation
planet”?

3rd - And also we “are capable

of rising above ourselves”
The concern for the Earth includes
a “concern to bring the whole
human family together to seek a
sustainable and integral
development.”

We need a new dialogue,

that includes everyone,
about how we are shaping
the future of our planet.
 CHAPTER ONE
WHAT IS HAPPENING TO
OUR COMMON HOME
 The climate is a common good
that belongs to all of us.
• Climate change is one of the
“principal challenges facing
humanity in our day.”
The planet is warming and
humans are the primary cause,
particularly due to the use of
fossil fuels (which cause
greenhouse gases) and
deforestation for agricultural
purposes. Public policy should
reduce carbon emissions and
promote renewable sources of
energy.
CLIMATE CHANGE

• Is one of the most pressing problems that the entire human

family in the world is facing and which the coming or future
generation will inevitably suffer from: is the harmful effects of
environmental deterioration of our planet, which we have
caused (United Nations, 2017)
• consequences of our harmful actions, which unfortunately,
generates or produces more damaging and irreparable
impacts to communities and its environment (Francis, 2015)
 LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
The earth’s resources
Greater investment
are also being
needs to be made in
plundered because of
Even some of our research aimed at The quality of water
“short-sighted
interventions to help understanding more available to the poor is
approaches to the
are causing greater fully the functioning of a serious concern.
economy, commerce
problems with ecosystems and Water is increasingly
and production.” The
biodiversity. Caring for adequately analyzing being polluted,
majority of species of
ecosystems demands the different variables privatized, and
plant and animals that
far-sightedness and associated with any wasted, which leads to
are becoming extinct
preemptive action. significant problems for the poor.
are dying off for reasons
modification of the
related to human
environment.
activity.
 DECLINE IN THE QUALITY OF HUMAN
LIFE AND THE BREAKDOWN OF SOCIETY

Environmental deterioration, current

models of development and the
throwaway culture have a detrimental
affect on humans.

Cities are becoming too large — “We

were not meant to be inundated by
cement, asphalt, glass and metal, and
deprived of physical contact with nature.”
GLOBAL INEQUALITY Deterioration of the human and natural
environments are connected, and both
disproportionately hurt the poor. To fix
environmental problems we have to also fix
“human and social degradation.”
Imbalances in population density are a concern,
but the primary problem is “extreme and selective
consumerism on the part of some” rather than
population growth.

Inequity affects not only individuals but entire

countries and an “ecological debt” exists between
the global north and south. Poor countries (which
often have natural resources) fuel the
development of richer nations. For this reason
national have “differentiated responsibilities” when
it comes to climate change.
WEAK RESPONSES

The world needs an international legal framework

to “set clear boundaries and ensure the protection
of ecosystems” but, so far, the “international
political responses” have been “weak.”

Depletion of natural resources will likely lead to new

wars, “albeit under the guise of noble claims.”

Some countries provide positive examples of

dealing with the environment but such efforts are
not sufficient.
 A VARIETY OF OPINIONS

We need a dialogue
Two extremes of that finds “viable
opinion fixing the future scenarios”
environment: between these
extremes.

(1) Ecological problems will be solved

by new technology, and

(2) population should be reduced to

prevent ecological harm.
 CHAPTER TWO
THE GOSPEL OF CREATION
 THE LIGHT
OFFERED BY
FAITH
Although simply being human
is “ample motivation” to care
for nature and vulnerable
human communities, faith
also motivates Christians to
care for the environment and
the poor.
THE WISDOM OF THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNTS

The biblical narratives have much to say about the The earth was
here before us
relationship of human beings with the world. and it has been
given to us by
God. “Dominion”
As a result, the
Human life is grounded in three fundamental over the earth is
originally
and closely intertwined relationships— harmonious not an excuse for
relationship “unbridled
between human exploitation” but
with the earth itself—yet beings and nature rather a command
with God,
with our these relationships have been became broken to be stewards of
neighbor and broken, both outwardly and
within us, by sin. and conflicted. natural resources.
 THE The word “creation” has a broader meaning than
“nature”, for it has to do with God’s loving plan in
MYSTERY OF which “every creature has its own value and
THE significance.”
UNIVERSE
The ultimate destiny of the universe is in the
fullness of God, which “has already been attained
by the risen Christ, the measure of the maturity of
all things.” All creation is thus moving toward a
“common point of arrival”—back to the Creator.
 THE MESSAGE OF
EACH CREATURE IN
THE HARMONY OF
CREATION
Each creature has its
own purpose. The Spirit
of life dwells in every
living creature and calls
us to enter into
relationship with him.
A UNIVERSAL
Humans are “linked by unseen bonds and together
form a kind of universal family.” Concern for the
environment needs to be joined to a “sincere love
COMMUNION for our fellow human beings and an unwavering
commitment to resolving the problems of society.”
 THE COMMON DESTINATION OF GOODS
Private property is not The natural environment is a
absolute or inviolable. The collective good. We break the
Every ecological approach principle of the subordination commandment “Thou shall not
needs to incorporate a social of private property to the kill” means when “twenty
perspective that takes into universal destination of goods, percent of the world’s
account the fundamental rights and thus the right of everyone population consumes
of the poor and the to their use, is a golden rule of resources at a rate that robs
underprivileged. social conduct and “the first the poor nations and future
principle of the whole ethical generations of what they need
and social order” to survive.”
THE GAZE OF JESUS

• Jesus was able to invite

others to be attentive to the
beauty of creation because
he himself was in constant
touch with nature. “From
the beginning of the world,
but particularly through the
incarnation, the mystery of
Christ is at work in a hidden
manner in the natural world
as a whole, without thereby
impinging on its autonomy.”
 CHAPTER THREE
THE HUMAN ROOTS OF
THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS
 TECHNOLOGY:
CREATIVITY AND POWER

Technology can be good, but it is

also powerful and increases our
power. Not every increase in
power is an increase of progress.
We need a “culture and
spirituality genuinely capable of
setting limits and teaching clear-
minded self-restraint.”
THE GLOBALIZATION OF THE
TECHNOCRATIC PARADIGM

• Humanity has taken up technology and

its development according to an
“undifferentiated and one-dimensional
paradigm.” But science and technology is
not neutral. Many environmental
problems stem from the tendency to
make the method and aims of science
and technology an “epistemological
paradigm” which shapes the lives of
individuals and the workings of society.
Technocratic Paradigm

• the opposite of synthesis or integration,

the greatest example of reductionism -
(Stollenwerk Daniel J)
• REDUCTIONISM = when knowledge is not
integrated; or when in focusing only to a
particular field of knowledge one does
not see/fails to see (or intentionally turn a
blind eye) the connection with other
knowledge/research/ sciences/
disciplines... Therefore, has a narrow
perspective on which dangerous
prescriptions or solutions may be based.
Laudato Si’ advocates
the environmental
science principle
“Everything is
connected” or
Interrelated. Hence:
the need for
integration or
synthesis.
“when technology disregards the
great ethical principles, it ends up
considering any practice whatsoever
as licit.” (LS 136)
a combination of “Technology +
Greed = Disaster” (Reese, Thomas )
The way that humanity has taken up
technology and its development
according to an undifferentiated
and one- dimensional paradigm.
This paradigm exalts the concept of
a subject who, using logical and
rational procedures, progressively
approaches and gains control over
an external object...(LS 106) = a kind
of SECULARISM, when one is
already playing God.
We need to “slow down and look at
reality in a different way,” so that
we can “appropriate the positive
and sustainable progress which has
been made” and “recover the
values and the great goals swept
away by our unrestrained delusions
of grandeur.”
THE CRISIS AND EFFECTS
OF MODERN
ANTHROPOCENTRISM

• Modern anthropocentrism prizes

technical thought over reality by
seeing creation as mere raw material
for our use. This has affected many
areas of life: “When we fail to
acknowledge as part of reality the
worth of a poor person, a human
embryo, a person with disabilities – to
offer just a few examples – it becomes
difficult to hear the cry of nature
itself; everything is connected.”
 “Since everything is
interrelated, concern
for the protection of
nature is also
incompatible with
the justification of
abortion.”
Practical relativism

• A misguided
anthropocentrism—
particularly our culture of
relativism—leads to a
misguided lifestyle. When
human beings place
themselves at the center,
they give absolute priority
to immediate
convenience and all else
becomes relative.
The need to protect employment

• An integral ecology needs to take

account of the value of human labor
and a correct understanding of work.
Civil authorities have the right and
duty to adopt clear and firm measures
in support of small producers and
differentiated production. To ensure
economic freedom from which all can
effectively benefit, restraints
occasionally have to be imposed on
those possessing greater resources
and financial power.
 New biological technologies

We can’t make general Those

judgments about genetic concerned
modification (GM), whether about GM
vegetable or animal, medical should also
or agricultural. Still, there are a be
number of significant concerned
difficulties with GM that when it is
should not be underestimated applied to
(e.g., destroying the complex human
network of ecosystems). embryos.
 CHAPTER FOUR
INTEGRAL ECOLOGY
 ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC
AND SOCIAL ECOLOGY
• Ecology studies the relationship
between living organisms and
the environment in which they
develop. When we speak of the
“environment”, what we really
mean is a relationship existing
between nature and the society
that lives in it. We ourselves are
a part of nature. Therefore, the
social and environmental crises
are intertwined.
We need an “economic
ecology” capable of appealing
to a broader vision of reality.
The analysis of environmental
problems cannot be separated
from the “analysis of human,
family, work-related and urban
contexts, nor from how
individuals relate to
themselves, which leads in turn
to how they relate to others
and to the environment.”
 Every violation
of solidarity and
civic friendship
harms the
environment.
 CULTURAL ECOLOGY

• Ecology also involves protecting the “cultural treasures of humanity in the

broadest sense.” But our consumerist vision of human beings, encouraged by
the mechanisms of today’s globalized economy, has a leveling effect on cultures,
diminishing the immense variety that is the heritage of all humanity. We must
look for solutions that include local people from within their proper culture.
We must show special care for
indigenous communities and
their cultural traditions.

The disappearance of a culture

can be as serious as the
disappearance of a species of
plant or animal. The imposition
of a dominant lifestyle linked to
a single form of production can
be just as harmful as the
altering of ecosystems.
ECOLOGY Authentic development must take into consideration the settings in
which people live their lives. We must keep this in mind when

OF DAILY designing buildings, cities, public spaces, etc.

Human ecology also includes the relationship between human life
and the moral law. Also, we must value our “own body in its
LIFE femininity or masculinity.” It is not a healthy attitude which would
seek “to cancel out sexual difference because it no longer knows
how to confront it”.
 THE Human ecology is inseparable from the notion of
PRINCIPLE the common good, a central and unifying
principle of social ethics. Because current
OF THE injustices, the common good requires solidarity
COMMON with and a preferential option for the poor.
GOOD
JUSTICE BETWEEN
THE GENERATIONS

The notion of the common

good also extends to
future generations. Our
approach to environmental
problems must take this
into account.
 CHAPTER FIVE
LINES OF APPROACH AND
ACTION
 DIALOGUE ON THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

The We need to develop

Buying
interdependence Fossil fuels must “more efficiently
and Enforceable
of humanity be phased out as organized international
selling international institutions” to address
obliges us to think soon as possible.
“carbon agreements and global warming and
of “one world with The international
credits” is global regulatory poverty. There is
a common plan.” community needs
not the norms are urgently urgent need of a true
We need a global to find a way to world political
right needed.
consensus to fix make this happen. authority to address
solution. these issues.
the problem.
 DIALOGUE FOR NEW NATIONAL AND LOCAL POLICIES

• These issues need to be addressed not only at the

international level, but at the local and national level
as well. Political and institutional frameworks need
to promote best practices and avoid bad practices.
Political activity on the local level could also be
directed to modifying consumption, developing an
economy of waste disposal and recycling, protecting
certain species and planning a diversified agriculture
and the rotation of crops.
• However, there are no uniform recipes, because
each country or region has its own problems and
limitations.
 DIALOGUE AND TRANSPARENCY IN
DECISION-MAKING
• We need greater transparency to
access the environmental impact of
business ventures and projects.
Environmental impact assessment
should be included in the planning
stages. A consensus should always
be reached between the different
stakeholders, who can offer a
variety of approaches, solutions,
and alternatives. The local
population, though, should have a
special place at the table.
In any discussion about a proposed venture, a number of questions need to
be asked in order to discern whether or not it will contribute to genuine
integral development: What will it accomplish? Why? Where? When? How?
For whom? What are the risks? What are the costs? Who will pay those costs
and how? Profit cannot be the sole criterion to be taken into account.

Reaching consensus is not easy and the Church does not presume to settle
scientific questions or to replace politics.
POLITICS AND “Politics must not be subject to the
ECONOMY IN economy, nor should the economy be
DIALOGUE subject to the dictates of an efficiency-
FOR HUMAN driven paradigm of technocracy.”
FULFILMENT Politics and economy should serve
human life.
The financial crisis of 2007-08 provided an opportunity to develop a new
economy and new ways of regulating speculative financial practices and virtual
wealth. But the response to the crisis did not include rethinking the outdated
criteria that “continue to rule the world.” Production does not always fairly
assign value.

We need to reject a magical conception of the market, which would suggest

“problems can be solved simply by an increase in the profits of companies or
individuals.” We can’t rely on those focused on “maximizing profits” to fix the
problem.

Efforts to promote a sustainable use of natural resources are an investment

capable of providing other economic benefits in the medium term.

For new models of progress to arise, there is a need to change “models of global
development”
The principle of the maximization of profits
reflects a misunderstanding of the very
concept of the economy.
We need a politics that is “capable of a
new, integral and interdisciplinary
approach to handling the different aspects
of the crisis.”
Politics and the economy tend to blame
each other when it comes to poverty and
environmental degradation. They need to
own up to their mistakes and find ways to
join together to promote the public good.
RELIGIONS IN DIALOGUE WITH SCIENCE

Empirical science can’t explain

the whole of reality. We need
also to look at the ethical and
spiritual resources produced by
the world’s religions.

The majority of people living

on our planet profess to be
believers, and they need to
dialogue with each other and
with science on these issues.
 CHAPTER SIX
ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION
AND SPIRITUALITY
TOWARDS A NEW LIFESTYLE

The market tends to promote extreme

consumerism, and compulsive consumerism
is an example of how the “techno-economic
paradigm affects individuals.” This paradigm
leads people to believe that they are free as
long as they have the supposed freedom to
consume. But those really free are the
minority who wield economic and financial
power.
 This leads to self-centeredness, which
increases greed. We buy stuff to fill the
emptiness within ourselves. This causes us
to lose focus on the common good.

The effect will be social unrest. Obsession

with a consumerist lifestyle, with increases
inequality, will lead to violence and mutual
destruction.

The problem isn’t hopeless, however, since

humans have the ability to change. A change
in our lifestyle could positively influence
those who “wield political, economic and
social power.”
EDUCATING FOR THE Environmental education shouldn’t only
COVENANT BETWEEN be focused on scientific information and
consciousness-raising. It should help us
HUMANITY AND THE how the transcendent gives “ecological
ENVIRONMENT ethics its deepest meaning.”
Education in environmental
responsibility can encourage
us to act in way that promote
the common good, such as
“avoiding the use of plastic
and paper, reducing water
consumption, separating
refuse, cooking only what can
reasonably be consumed,
showing care for other living
beings, using public transport
or car-pooling, planting trees,
turning off unnecessary
lights, or any number of
other practices.”
Ecological
education can
take place in a Political institutions
variety of and various other
settings: at social groups are also
entrusted with
school, in
helping to raise
families, in the people’s awareness.
media, in All Christian
catechesis and communities have an
elsewhere. important role to
play in ecological
education.
ECOLOGICAL Spirituality can motivate us to a more passionate concern for the protection of
CONVERSION our world. The ecological crisis is thus also a summons to profound interior
conversion. Some people need an “ecological conversion”, whereby the effects
of their “encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in their relationship with
the world around them.” A healthy relationship with creation is one dimension
of overall personal conversion.

Individual conversion, though, is not enough. The ecological conversion

needed to bring about lasting change is also a community conversion.
 JOY AND PEACE
• Christian spirituality proposes an alternative to
our obsession with consumption. We need to
adopt the mindset that “less is more.” Christian
spirituality proposes a growth marked by
moderation and the capacity to be happy with
little.
• The change of attitude will help us develop a
“serene attentiveness.” One expression of this
attitude is when we stop and give thanks to God
before and after meals: “I ask all believers to
return to this beautiful and meaningful custom.”
 CIVIC AND POLITICAL LOVE
Love—“overflowing with small
Care for nature is part of a
gestures of mutual care”—is also
lifestyle which includes the
civic and political. Love for society
capacity for living together and
and commitment to the common
communion.
good affects everyone.
 SACRAMENTAL SIGNS AND THE
CELEBRATION OF REST
• The Eucharist is a “source of
light and motivation for our
concerns for the environment,
directing us to be stewards of
all creation.” The day of rest,
centered on the Eucharist,
“sheds it light on the whole
week, and motivates us to
greater concern for nature and
the poor.”
 THE TRINITY AND THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN CREATURES
The Trinity has left its mark on all creation.
Everything is interconnected, and this invites
us to “develop a spirituality of that global
solidarity which flows from the mystery of the
Trinity.”
 QUEEN
OF ALL
CREATION
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is
also the Mother and Queen of
all creation. We can we can
“ask her to enable us to look at
this world with eyes of
wisdom.” Saint Joseph too can
“inspire us to work with
generosity and tenderness in
protecting this world which
God has entrusted to us.”
 BEYOND THE SUN

God offers us the

Francis concludes
light and the
with two prayers,
strength needed
“A prayer for our
to continue on
earth” and “A
our way and
Christian prayer
carry our the task
in union with
of caring for our
creation.”
“common home.”
If the human ecology is
distorted by the eclipse of God,
the contempt for the human
person, and the ensuing
exploitation of human beings, it
will not take long for this
distortion to affect the natural
order. The contempt of the
human person and the
contempt for God’s creation are
two sides of the same coin.
The human family has
received from the
creator a common gift:
Nature…Let us be
protectors of creation,
protectors of God’s
plan inscribed in
nature, protectors of
one another and of the
environment
Prayer for Healing

• As the world is suffering

from the sickness of climate
change and pandemic,
compose a prayer for
healing our world,
especially our nation and
the poor who are truly
affected. Place this
heartfelt prayer in a poster
format relying on your
artistic creativity (png).
 THEOLOGY 4:
• LIVING THE CHRISTIAN VISION IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD:

UNIT 3: Harmony with All Crea1on

Justice for the Poor

BR E A K O U T SE S S IO N : JU S T IC E F O R T H E PO O R Guide Questions per GROUP (15 minutes):

Groups 1 and 2`
What are the root causes of poverty in the Philippines? What can be done to solve them in the local
and global levels?

Groups 3 and 4
What is the biggest challenge we are face today in promoting justice for the poor in the
Philippines? How can we address them?

Groups 5 and 6
What are some relevant Catholic Teachings about justice for the poor? How can we apply them in our
present context?

Plenary Session Reporting:

Sharing with the whole class (Mechanics):
A. Make a summary of your presentation
B. Choose a presenter who will share the output of the group.
C. Limit your presentation to 5-8 minutes (maximum or less).
 God's
Beloved
Poor

© Zeyn Afuang
 JUSTICE FOR THE POOR
Our quest for harmony with God and with
Pope Francis (Laudato Si’): there is an
all creation in response to God's call to "a true ecological approach
"inseparable bond" that links concern for
stewardship does not end in our concern always becomes a social
nature, jusFce for the poor, commitment
for nature alone but flows into our concern approach."
to society, and interior peace.
for one another, especially the needy.
In an extended way,
The truth is that we This stewardship of
we are brothers and
are stewards of one one another takes
sisters not only with
another as brothers the form of a special
our blood siblings
and sisters, and concern to attain
but with all human
together we are justice for the poor,
beings for we all
stewards of the neglected and
have the same
earth. marginalized.
heavenly Father.
 A. Old Testament Witness
Indeed, Israel's fundamental
Writings of the prophets who
Israel's experience of oppression experience of elecFon and
denounced the injustices
in Egypt and how God delivered liberaFon by God despite their
committed against the poor by
His people from slavery and sinfulness and unworthiness is a
God's people and their leaders in
injustice through his servant, thread that runs through the
the various stages of their
Moses. Hebrew Bible and conFnues to
history.
the New Testament.
B. New Testament Witness
how Christ proclaims and
actualizes the "Good News to
Mystery of the Cross and the
the Poor" that he was sent to
RedempIon as the place
proclaim, bringing "liberty to
where the maximum of
the oppressed, recovery of
injusIce is ulImately
sight to the blind and
defeated by the transforming
freedom to captives" as the
faith and love of the Savior.
prophets had foretold (cf. Lk
4:18).
C. Church Witness
Some of these texts will
include excerpts from the
writings of the saints,
Documents from different
quotations from Church
periods in the history of
Councils and papal
the Church to see how the
encyclicals, passages from
Church has understood
the documents of the
and lived out this mission
Second Vatican Council, all
from the 8me of Jesus to
the way to the teaching of
our present 8me.
our present Pope,
especially Evangelii
Gaudium.
THE HUMAN ROOTS OF THE PRESENT POVERTY IN THE PHILIPPINES

© Chi.o Cancio
Overview of Pertinent CBCP
Pastorals

• Some key texts include:

• To Bring Glad Tidings to the Poor
• Poverty that Dehumanizes, Poverty
that Sanc<fies (2014),
• The Dignity of the Rural Poor: A
Gospel Concern (2007),
• I Was Homeless and You Took Me In
(1997) and
• On the Plight of the Poor (1991).
 To Bring Glad Tidings to the Poor (2014)

It is a document that springs from the Apostolic Exhorta7on Evangelii

Gaudium, raises a number of points that are worth deepening:

that poverty in the

Philippines, although it has
that the problem of poverty is
been decreasing on the
not to be blamed only on the
that sharing, for a Christian, is na;onal level, con;nues at
government or in societal
not just a matter of choice "scandalous" levels in certain
structures but we must
but of conscience; areas such as the ARMM
accept our own responsibility
where almost half of the
for it.
popula;on live below the
poverty line;
Poverty that Dehumanizes, Poverty that Sanctifies (2014)

It served as the CBCP's Lenten Message

for that year, aCempts to dis5nguish
between different forms of poverty
experienced on the material, moral and
spiritual levels and

to offer a "framework" for discerning

which ones are destruc5ve and which
ones are helpful for our spiritual life.
 Poverty that Dehumanizes, Poverty that SancOfies (2014)

Poverty that Dehumanizes

Material Moral Spiritual

Personal destitution slavery to vice or sin loneliness and hopelessness
Societal exclusion corruption religious intolerance
Global consumerism inequality relativism and loss of the
sense of transcendence

Poverty that Sanctifies

Material Moral Spiritual

Personal commitment to the
surrender to God
Societal simplicity Good, the Just and
Global the True
 Types of Poverty
Lack of purpose in life, a
Poverty of the soul sense of hopelessness about
any lasting meaning

Poverty of the spirit Total dependence on

God

Lack of sufficient material

Material poverty means to meet basic human
needs
 The Dignity of the Rural Poor: A Gospel Concern (2007)

Wri$en at the end of

the Year for Social
Concerns, the bishops
focus on the rural
poor whom they call
"the greatest vic>m of
our unjust economic
order" and called the
transgression of their
dignity as "a nega>on
of Chris>an love."
 Firstly, the document dispelled the common impression that
poverty in the Philippines is concentrated in urban areas.

Secondly, it decried the poor implementation of agrarian reform

programs, even accompanied in certain cases with the extra-
judicial killing of farmers.

Thirdly, it called to task the government, those who have "official

responsibility," while inviIng everyone to examine their
conscience with regard to their own personal contribuIon to the
problem.
 I Was Homeless and You Took Me In (1997)
• Tackles the issue of the adequate housing, which John Paul
II defined as a full human right in his Lenten Message for
the same year.
• The bishops praised the message of the Pope as being
especially Imely for the Philippines, then encountering
issues of mass demoliIons of informal seVlers for various
reasons, not always just.
• "Most are done in the name of development, which
however oWen turns out to be soulless." In line with this,
they called for the humane implementaIon of evicIons
with "adequate provision for suitable relocaIon."
MOTHER TERESA
IN HER OWN WORDS

“Do not wait for

leaders;
do it alone,
person to person.”
Mother Teresa taught us by her
sample what it really means to
‘live’ the Gospel.
 “I think today the world is upside down and
is suffering so much because there is so
very little love in the home, and in family
life. We have no time for our children, we
have no time for each other, there is no time to enjoy
each other.”
“Love begins at home; love lives in homes, and that is why there is
so much suffering and so much unhappiness in the world
today...Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush,
anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so
that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have
very little time for each other, and in the home begins the
disruption of the peace of the world.”
 ON POVERTY
"I see God in every human being. When I
wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am
nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a
beau<ful experience?" -- 1974 interview.

"When I see waste here, I feel angry on the inside.

I don't approve of myself getting angry. But it's
something you can't help after seeing Ethiopia." --
Washington 1984.
 “The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of
being unloved.”

“The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis,

but rather the feeling of being unwanted.”

“There is more hunger in the world for love and

apprecia>on than for bread.”

“We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry,

naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted,
unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must
start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”
 First, it tackled the issue of the relaFon between
poverty and sin, staFng that: The suffering has
been aggravated by the insinuaDons of some
that these calamiDes are punishments from God
On the Plight of the Poor (1991) for personal and social sins…

Second, it highlighted the need to provide

sustained and long-term assistance leading to
rehabilitation and recovery beyond merely giving
immediate relief to the victims… "Our mission
demands that we lift our people out of their
dehumanizing poverty. We must make it
possible for the poor to live in dignity, and in
honor, as the children of God. To become the
Church of the Poor is our vision.“
We are called
to be
committed to
JUSTICE and
CHARITY
Jus>ce and charity are both rooted in the
social dimension of the gospels. Both
reflect the same gospel mandates. Both
can be powerful Chris>an responses to
human need.
 CBCP
Pastorals
2017: For I find no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies
- oracle of the Lord God

Context:
• Extra-judicial killings
connected to the war on
drugs of the Duterte
Administration; virulent
attacks on those who oppose
the said campaign, including
Church leaders.
Content:
• The problem of drugs must be
eliminated but the solution is not
the extra-judicial killing of
suspected drug users and pushers.
All must work together for a
solution that addresses the root
causes of the problem, which the
bishops identified as "the poverty
of the majority, the destruction of
the family and corruption in
society."
Content:

• The bishops respond by

reitera7ng the Social
Teachings of the Church in
line with these issues. At
the same 7me, they
proclaim a message of
hope, iden7fying some
posi7ve signs such as a
growing sense of poli7cal
responsibility among
Filipinos, etc.
 Context:

• Certain policies/programs of the

Duterte Administration,
including those that coincide
and those that collide with 2016: Our Country
Catholic teaching: President and Our Faith: The
Duterte's "heart for the poor," Philippine Socio-
policy against labor
contractualization, war on
Poli1cal Landscape
drugs, as well as pending and our Chris1an
legislations on death penalty, Response
illegal gambling, same-sex
unions, divorce, etc.
Content:

• Here the local Church struggles to

live by the principle of "cri<cal
collabora<on" in rela<on to the
government. On the one hand, it
commends and supports policies
of the government that are in
harmony with Gospel. On the
other hand, it cri<cizes and
opposes those that are against it.
2013: Proclaim the Message In Season and Out of Season (On Certain Social
Issues of Today)

Context:

• A litany of "storms" aside from

the natural ones: culture of
death and promiscuity,
corrup<on and abuse of power,
poli<cal dynas<es, integrity in
the conduct of elec<ons, social
injus<ce, culture of impunity,
the con<nued suffering of the
poor/lack of inclusive growth
2013: Filipino Catholic Laity: Called to Be Saints, Sent Forth As
Heroes (Year of the Laity)

Context:
• Year of the Laity 2014. A "paradox of poverty and
abundance" in the situa>on of Catholic laity
Content: Among the many opportunities of the laity to participate in the
Church's mission (liturgical, catechetical, administrative, etc.) the
document highlighted one in particular: "...your own specific task, and
the special responsibility given to you by the Lord is to find your own
sanctification in the world, and to sanctify the world and transform it
so that this world becomes more and more God’s world, God’s
kingdom, where his will is done as it is in heaven."
 2009: “Love and
truth will meet;
jus1ce and peace
will kiss” (On Lay
Par1cipa1on in
Poli1cs and Peace)

Context:

• "a great and urgent challenge for active lay participation in principled
politics" in the face of patronage politics, political dynasties, dirty
elections and politics, apathy and cynicism among young people
Content:

• Echoing the social teachings

of the Church, the
document offers some
rather direct and concrete
pointers; on the naLonal
elecLons, on unrest and
violence.
• In the end, the bishops
reminded the people that
"peace is both our
commitment and a giN of
God."
We as a Church con>nues to respond to God’s call working
for jus>ce and charity so that His kingdom will come here on
earth where His divine will is done as it is in heaven.
OPLAN KALINGA SA KAPWA AT KALIKASAN

• What possible acts of justice and charity can you do during this
crisis, to effectively help the environment and the poor? Make a
ten-point action plan that shows SMART (Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Relevant, Time bound) qualities.