WHEEL OF JUSTICE

(1) HUMAN DIGNITY - belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all
Catholic social teaching
Every human being is created in the image of God and redeemed by Jesus Christ, therefore is invaluable
and worthy of respect as a member of the human family

Created in Gods image

Child of the Father
Redeemed by the Incarnate Son of God
Temple & Indwelling of the Holy Spirit
Called to a Noble Destiny

The dignity of the human person is based on the fundamental fact that he/she is a human
being.
The dignity of the human person must be respected, protected.
This should not be violated and should never be exploited (from womb to tomb) A child of God
The worth of the person is not based on education, wealth, his contribution to society, nor his
virtues
Mother Teresa - Exemplar of Love
The fruit of faith is love, and the fruit of love is service.
A person who recognized the basic dignity and goodness of each person.
She taught by example that when we help and love the poor person we are helping and loving
Jesus. God is not absent from our lives. He lives in our neighbor, most especially in those we tend to
neglect and dislike.
Every person, no matter how small is a person of great dignity.
Pray these words of Mother Teresa
Dearest Lord, may I see you today and every day in the person of your sick, and nursing them, minister
unto you. Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting, the
unreasonable, may I still recognize you. Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high
vocation and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness,
unkindness or impatience. Amen
How then should we treat?
What you did to the least of your neighbors, you did for Me. Mt. 25

Our body, our life

Other people
The poor & destitute
The handicapped, the old, the sick & the dying
Those in prison
Our enemies
The developing human being

(2) RESPECT FOR LIFE

Every person, from the moment of conception to natural death, has inherent dignity and a right to life
consistent with that dignity
There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though
everything is a miracle.
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
ASSAULTS AGAINST LIFE
a) Capital Punishment
The death penalty is racially biased: nearly 90% of persons executed were convicted of killing whites.

Capital Punishment does not deter crime: States that have the death penalty have higher civilian
murder rates than does that do not.
Capital Punishment kills innocent people: in the last twenty years, 350 capital convictions later
revealed that the convicted person did not commit the crime. Of these, twenty-five were executed.

Things to consider:
Not even a murderer loses his/her personal dignity
Jesus taught nonviolence and forgiveness
All people are challenged to look for ways to punish and rehabilitate criminals while protecting
society
The Church has traditionally permitted the death penalty as a last resort for a society to defend itself
against violent criminals
States have enough means today to repress crime and control violent criminals without inflicting the
death penalty
The traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is only
possible way of effectively defending human lives against unjust aggressor. CCC 2267
Reasons for punishment
(1) Retribution
(2) Reform
(3) Deterrence
Problems with the death penalty
A dead criminal cannot be reformed
Mistakes have been made in administering capital punishment
Since 1973 at least 100 people have been exonerated and released from death row in the US
Executions attract unhealthy publicity
Death penalty is disproportionally administered to poor persons and members of minority groups
b) Suction Aspiration - the abortion technique used in most first trimester abortions. This technique
inserts into the mothers womb a powerful suction tube with a sharp cutting edge.
c) Salt Poisoning - often used to abort babies after sixteen weeks of pregnancy. A needle is inserted
through the mothers abdomen to withdraw amniotic fluid and replaced it with a solution of
concentrated salt. The baby breathes in and swallows the salt and dies usually within an hour. Mother
goes to labor about 33-35 hours after instillation of the salt and delivers a dead, burned, shriveled
baby.
Human beings have a right to life from the moment of conception to natural death

d) Abortion - defined as the unjustified killing of unborn human beings

Why is it wrong? When society tolerates abortion, all of human life is threatened.
Remember: Human life is a gift from God which must be protected, nurtured, and sustained from the first
moment of conception
Legalized in 1973 by the US Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade
This decision held that a womans right to privacy included her decision to have an abortion
o 1.3 million abortions in US each year
o 3,700 abortions per day, 155 per hour, 1 every 24 seconds
o 48% of pregnancies are unintended, half of these are aborted
o 46 million abortions in the world every year
What factors lead to the disrespect for the sanctity of life?
a) Breakdown of the family
b) Belief that freedom is the absolute value
The right to life is the foundation on which rests all other inalienable rights and from which they
develop.
Abortion assaults dignity and ones worth as a unique child of God redeemed by Jesus Christ.

When society tolerates abortion, or even encourages it as a way to deal with unwanted pregnancies, all
human life - womb to tomb is threatened.

Years ago, the vast majority of people viewed abortion as an unspeakable crime, an act of desperation, the
killing of ones child.
Today, our society has adopted an abortion mentality that has blinded even people of good will from
seeing the unborn, innocent humans have a God-given right to life, acceptance, respect, help, and love.
The mentality sees little or nothing wrong with abortion. It praises unlimited freedom of choice, an
unbridled individualism that sees no responsibility to others and an absolute right to privacy
Human life begins at conception. It begins from the time the ovum is fertilized. Genetics has shown that a
new human being-- genetically distinct from both mother and father-- has begun the process of his or her
growth at the moment of conception. Any discrimination based on various stages of life is no more justified
than any other discrimination. A childs right to life outweighs a mothers freedom of choice or her right to
privacy. (Declaration on Procured abortion no. 12)
Pope John Paul II address words to women who have had an abortion
The Church is aware of the many factors which may have influence your decision, and she does not doubt
that in many cases it was painful and even shattering decision. The wound in your heart may not yet have
healed. Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong. But do not give in to discouragement
and do not lose hope give yourselves over with humility and trust to repentance. The Father of mercies
is ready to give you his forgiveness and his peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. (Gospel of Life,
no. 99)
Did you know...

The Church has opposed abortion from the beginning

The Church always considered abortion a mortal sin
The Church believes in the seamless garment of respect for human life from the womb to the tomb
A person who is right to life believes
A childs right to life outweighs a mothers freedom of choice or her right to privacy
Abortion should be made illegal
God conveys the gift of life, not the state
One should cultivate a correct view of the sacredness of sex
Human life begins at conception
There are always alternatives to abortion
e) Stem Cell Research
Stem Cell is an unspecialized cell that has the potential to become a specific type of cell.
Embryonic stem cells have the potential to become any kind of body cell
Adult stem cells have the potency to become many different cells but not all.
Stem cells can be harvested from an established tissue (adult stem cell) or from the blood of the umbilical
cord and these sources, for many, create no specific ethical dilemma.
Did you know...
The Church supports stem cells that come from adult tissue, umbilical cord blood and other sources.
The Church is against the use of embryonic stem cells, since stem cells must be harvested from living
human embryos that destroys them.
DONUM VITAE (Section I)
Thus the fruit of human generation, from the first moment of its existence, that is to say from the
moment the zygote has formed, demands the unconditional respect that is morally due to the human
being in his bodily and spiritual totality. The human being is to be respected and treated as a person
from the moment of conception; and therefore from that same moment his rights as a person must be
recognized, among which in the first place is the inviolable right of every innocent human being to life.
f) Euthanasia - defined as an act or omission which of itself or by intention cause death, with the
purpose of eliminating suffering
Did you know...
Euthanasia is also called mercy killing

1. A cultural climate that sees no value in suffering.

When people abandon God, they often see life as simply the pursuit of pleasure
If pain enters the picture, and death looms on the horizon, then hastening death seems like the
best choice to be free from suffering.
2. People who neglect God often think they have control over life and death.
Excessive individualism and the belief in an absolute right to freedom can influence godless people
to believe they are the masters of death.
3. An aging population puts pressure on a costly healthcare system.
Some see Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide as cost effective.
There are those who promote right to die mentality not because they are compassionate but
because keeping old people alive is expensive.
Reasons for legalizing Euthanasia include:
Our cultural climate sees no value in suffering
People who neglect God think they have sole control over life and death
Aging population puts pressure on a costly healthcare system

What is the Right to Die?

We do not have the right to die. A right is a moral claim. Death claims us; we do not claim death. No one is
in total control of his and her own life - when it begins or when it ends.
As Gods child we do have a right to proper care when we are sick or dying. And proper care does not
include killing ( euthanasia ) or suicide ( assisted or not )
Declaration on Euthanasia, the Gospel of Life
Medical procedures which no longer correspond to the real situation of the patient, either because they
are by now disproportionate to any unexpected results or because they imposed an excessive burden on
the patient and his family.
In such situations when death is imminent and inevitable, one can in conscience refuse forms of treatment
that would only secure a precarious and burdensome prolongation of life, so long as the normal care due
the sick person in similar cases is not interrupted.
St. Augustine
It is never moral to kill another person even if he should wish it, indeed request it.
Pope John Paul II
True compassion leads to sharing anothers pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot
bear.
Whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, or willful
destructionall these things and others of their like are infamies indeed. They poison human society, but
they do more harm to those who practice them than those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are a
supreme dishonor to the Creator.
Church in the modern world 27
Respect, protect, love and serve life every human life!
Only in this direction will you find justice, development, true freedom, peace and happiness!
JPII The Gospel of life
The Church believes in using ordinary and morally acceptable means to preserve life, even of those
who face death.
The Church teaching holds that to decision to forego using extraordinary or disproportionate means to
sustain life is morally acceptable
Declaration on Euthanasia states we can judge whether the means is ordinary or extraordinary by:
Kind of treatment used
Its complexity and risk
Its costs and possibilities of using it

Why does the Church strongly condemn euthanasia, suicide and assisted suicide?
Euthanasia violates Gods law which forbids the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human
person
Suicide is equivalent to murder and violates the fifth commandment
Assisted suicide is the concurring with the intention of another person to commit suicide; helping
someone take his/her life
The Seamless Garment - consistent life ethic
Respect for all human life from the moment of conception until natural death, from womb to
tomb.
Pro -Life
Pursue social justice
Promote family life
Protect human life
(3) FAMILY COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
In a global culture driven by excessive individualism, our tradition proclaims that the person is not only
sacred but social The FAMILY is the social institution that must be supported and strengthened, not
underminedwe believe people have a right to participate in the society
The Value of the Family
The family is a universal and basic element in man.
It is the basic unit of society serving as the link between the individual and society because every
persons earliest and longest experience takes place within the family.
Nothing else can replace the family as a center for the psycho-social development of people and as a
transmitter of culture
MEDIA
Movies = sex and violence
Advertisements = more direct in selling commodities, services and ideas promoting a strong consumerist
mentality .
That HAPPINESS can be found in accumulating wealth than on developing a caring and loving
relationships with the people who touch their lives
Time is measured by the hour.
Weight is measured by the pound.
LIFE is measured through our RELATIONSHIPS
Families at Risk
Basic needs - health, nutrition, skills; physical, emotional, and personal development and group security;
physical and psychological exploitation among individual members; injustice; break-ups, domestic
violence, child abuse, single parenting, OFWS and changing family structures.
TO COMMIT TO SUPPORT THE FAMILY
Even amidst so many difficulties and serious threats the family will always remain in accordance with
Gods willthe sanctuary of life
It is necessary to go back seeing the family as the sanctuary of life.The family is indeed sacred; it is a
place in which life can be properly welcomed and protected against the many attacks to which it is
exposed, and can develop in accordance with what constitutes authentic human growth. In the face of the
so-called culture of death, the family is the heart of the culture of life. ( CA 39 )
Family as a great gift of God to mankind; an original gift marked by His blessing Cardinal Sin
Children are blessings for the family and thus parents should look after the quality of the life of the
children Pres. Arroyo
Families mission is to become a community of love and life. - Rev. Antonio
CHRISTIAN FAMILY welcomes, respects and serves every human being, considering each one in his or
her dignity as a person and as a Child of God.

The social nature of the human person

The fact that human beings are social by nature indicates that the betterment of the person and the
improvement of society depend on each other.humanity by its very nature stands completely in need of
life in society. Vatican II, The Church in the Modern World
All people have a right to a minimum level of participation in the economic, political, and cultural life of
society.
St. Therese of Lisieux (1873 - 1897 )
The little way to Holiness without love, deeds even the most brilliant count as nothing. Living each day
simply and doing things in an extraordinary way.
(4) RIGHTS & DUTIES
Human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are
protected and responsibilities are met.
Fundamental rights of human beings are essential for the exercise of human dignity.
The rights are to things, powers or privileges to which individuals have a just claim or are entitled to
under the natural law as a consequence of their being human.
The Church is convinced that any irresponsible behavior that violates human dignity is incompatible
with the demands of the Gospel and must be boldly condemned.
The Church has the reputation of being a universal voice sustaining human rights.
Every right there is a corresponding duty.
o Right to life - Duty to take care and protect life
o Right to Private Property - Duty to use it for the common good
o Right to a Just wage - Duty to perform our work in a responsible manner
The right of one person corresponds to the obligation of others to recognize and respect it.
To ones man right there corresponds a duty in all other persons.
HUMAN RIGHTS defined as those fundamental rights of human beings essential for the exercise of
human dignity.
The rights are to things, powers or privileges to which individuals have a just claim or
are entitled to under the natural law as a consequence of their being human.
Human rights are prerogatives given by God to humans which are inalienable, unconditional,
unchangeable and common to all.
They are the inalienable patrimony of all men, women and children, irrespective of nationality,
color, language or creed
The powers are inviolable in the sense that they cannot be trampled upon or suppressed
without moral responsibility.
Inalienable Rights of the Human Person
Pacem in Terris gives a list of human rights:
a) Right to a decent existence
This includes the right to life, bodily integrity and to all the means necessary to maintain a proper
development of life. These are primarily food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care and other necessary
social services.
b) Right pertaining to moral and cultural values
1. Rights belonging to the realm of the spirit, the intelligence and the will.
2. Right to a good name and honor
3. Right to true information
4. Right to free speech and free press
5. Right to a good education
By the natural law, every human being has the right to respect for his person, to his good reputation;
the right to freedom in searching for truth and in expressing and communicating his opinions, and in
pursuit of art, with in the limits laid down by the moral order and the common good; and he has the
right to be informed truthfully about public events. The natural law also gives man the right to share in
the benefits of culture, and therefore, the right to a basic education and to technical and professional
training in keeping with the stage of educational development in the country to which he belongs.

c) Right to worship
Human nature is essentially ordained to God.
No one should be forced to worship against ones conscience.
d) Right to choose ones way of life
Human beings have the right to choose freely the state of life which we prefer.
The right to found a family, remain single or follow a vocation to the priesthood or religious life.
e) Rights pertaining to economic life
Every human individual is a social being and is called to the development of society as well. Because
of this, the individual has the right to free initiative and responsibility, the right to work, to proper
working conditions, to just wages and to private property of productive goods.
f) Right of assembly and association
Stemming from the nature of the human person as social being is the right to freely form assemblies
and associations.
There are primarily three forms of association:
1. Family
2. Private Associations: intellectual study groups, sports clubs, labor unions, and the like
3. Political Society or the State
g) Right to emigrate and immigrate
To emigrate is to leave ones country and to settle in another while to immigrate is to come into
a new country in order to settle there. This right is based on a human beings belonging to a
single human race and are citizens of the world community.
Immigration to another country is legitimate when the individuals act of emigration does no
harm to the country s/he left behind and when his/her entry into another country will contribute
both to his own growth and development and to the of the country s/he enters.
h) Right in the political order
The right to become active participants in public affairs particularly in matters regarding laws
and policies of the state.
This right includes the citizens juridical protection by the state, such as the right to due
process, freedom from arbitrary arrest, search, wiretapping, torture, etc.
Relationship of Rights & Duties
John XXIII observes that modern men and women are quick to defend their rights and are deeply aware
of them but quite often, they tend to forget that each right implies a duty (PT, 28) towards
another or other persons.
The fundamental correlation between rights and duties is manifested in two stages
1. The first stage occurs when the possessor is conscious of his rights, and is equally aware of
his duties and the obligation to discharge these duties.
2. The second stage comes about in the relationship that exists between the right of one
person and the obligation of others to recognize and respect it.
Go Worship With Your Own People
We are called to treat all people with respect and as if they were our sisters or brothers.
Unfortunately, this does not always occur. Take Mohandas Gandhi, for example.
Ghandi, a Hindu, was interested in the Christian church and was discriminated against when he
tried to enter the sanctuary in a Christian church. He was told to go worship with his own
people.
How did Christians discriminate against Ghandi? What kind of prejudice did he encounter?
Real-Life Prejudice
According to Tolerance.org:
Every hour someone commits a hate crime
Every day at least 8 blacks, 3 whites, 3 gays, 3 Jews, and 1 Latino become hate crime
victims
Every week a cross is burned
Prejudice

Favorable or unfavorable feeling toward a person, place, or thing, prior to, or not based on, actual fact
A prejudgment based on insufficient data.

Did you know...

Negative prejudice is sinful.
Why?
Threatens the rights of people
Illogical, exhibits stereotypical thinking
A fault when it resists new information
Stereotypes - types of prejudice that are oversimplified generalizations about some aspect of reality
Stages of Prejudice
1. Extermination killing the undesirable person or group
2. Physical attack violence and hate crimes
3. Discrimination harmful actions against disliked persons
4. Avoidance avoiding members of a disliked group
5. Antilocution speaking against
Types of discrimination
1. Sexism - misguided belief that one sex is superior to the other by the nature of things.

Examples of sexism
In no country in todays world are women treated as well as men
Greater poverty in households headed by women
Women suffer from glass ceiling effect
Some countries restrict the political participation of women
Women condemned to unending menial labor
Women victimized by men through violence
2. Ageism - prejudice exhibited against older people

Examples of ageism
More and more elderly are living in poverty
Stability of Social Security and Medicare are of great concern as more people retire
The move to legalize euthanasia is an attempt to remove sick elderly persons seen as a
burden
Types
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

of extermination
Assassinations
Lynchings
Massacres
Terrorist bombings
Genocide
Example: The Holocaus - resulted from anti-semitism: prejudice against the Jewish people

Nine ways you can fight prejudice

1. Pray for your conversion
2. Learn to celebrate differences
3. Look for inequalities in your school, work place, and parish
4. Avoid racial stereotypes, jokes, slurs
5. Refuse to participate in any verbal attacks on homosexual persons
6. Treat those with disabilities as unique individuals
7. Visit a nursing home with some friends
8. Avoid sexist comments
9. Include rather than exclude
Let us think of ways to fight prejudice.
Ways to overcome prejudice
Work with different groups
Participate in programs that put self in the shoes of others

Be aware that prejudice is inconsistent with ones values, attitudes and behaviors
Establish laws/rules that require the fair treatment of others

Prejudices deny people their fundamental human rights, not treating them as equals.
With respect to the fundamental rights of the person, every type of discrimination whether social or
cultural, whether based on sex, race, color, social condition, language or religion is to be overcome and
eradicated as contrary to Gods intent
Because we are all children of God, we are essentially brothers and sisters. We share and deserve equal
rights before God and each other.
As Christians we have the duty to accept and love everyone without distinction.
Because we are all children of God, we are essentially brothers and sisters. We share and deserve equal
rights before God and each other.
(5) Common Good
The sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members
relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment.
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World

The Common Good concerns our life together, protecting the welfare of each individual who must in
turn be concerned with the welfare of each other person.
Human Dignity requires that we work for the common good; that we create institutions that improve
our human life, individually and collectively.

Three
1.
2.
3.

essential elements
Respect for the person
Social well-being and development of the group
Peace and security
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
SEE: GREED

(6) OPTION FOR THE POOR

POVERTY
The Scourge of Poverty: being blessed with wealth calls for a duty to use our wealth wisely
Pauper or poor
Lack of means to provide for material needs or comforts
Types
a.
b.
c.

of Poverty
Poverty of the soul - lack of purpose in life, a sense of hopelessness about any lasting meaning
Poverty of the spirit - totally depend on God
Material poverty - lack of sufficient material means to meet basic human needs

Evidence of material poverty

20% of the population in developed nations consume 86% of the worlds goods
Nearly 1.3 billion people live on less that $1 a day
Nearly 1.3 billion people have no access to clean water; 3 billion have no access to sanitation; 2
billion have no access to electricity
In developing countries, 91 children out of 1000 die before their fifth birthday
The Bible and Poverty

Did you know...

Sacred scripture reveals that God is compassionately concerned for the welfare of the poor

Jesus was a prophetic voice telling of Gods love for the poor and Gods command for the well-off to
respond to the needy

In the Old Testament

Sabbatical year land was not to be farmed, debts were to be forgiven and slaves were to be let
go every seventh year
Jubilee year people were to return to their proper place in the community and original owners
were to lay legal claims to their property every fifty years.
These were established to help reduce poverty and to help the poor assume respectable positions
in society
In the New Testament
Jesus lived a life of poverty and associated with the poor and outcast throughout his ministry
Jesus parables revealed his attitude toward the poor
The Scandal of Hunger
Malnourishment > Body gets food but the food lacks the proper amount of vitamins and minerals for
a healthy life > Leads to infection and disease
Chronic hunger > Body starves and consumes muscle, fat, and tissue for food; immune system fails;
brain function slows
Causes of hunger
Corruption
Unfair and high interest on foreign loans
Exploiting limited resources
Politics
A moral response to world hunger
Subsidiarity
Solidarity
Manage earthly goods more efficiently
Did you know...
that another way to respond to the problem of world hunger is by participating in the Eucharist?
We are to become the bread of life for others
We are to be Christs hands and feet to those in need
A Christian Response to Poverty
Preferential Option for the Poor
The moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members.
Remember the widows, orphans, and aliens.
REAL LIFE SITUATIONS
A) Juana is a street child who sells sampaguita flowers even in the middle of the night just to make a living.
She has been abandoned by her parents and has no family or home of her own. School is out of the
question and God only knows where she will sleep tonight. In short she has neither a future nor a reason to
continue living. She is one of the thousands of homeless street children who have become a serious
problem in Manila. Many of these children are victims of child abuse and prostitution.
B) Mang teban was once a promising barangay leader of Tondos Smokey mountain. Following the
guidelines of the labor encyclical, Laborem Exercens, he was negotiating for a peaceful transfer of the poor
dwellers to a government housing project. To make way for a big business development project, the Tondo
poor dwellers were forcibly evicted and their homes demolished. During the forceful eviction while he was
trying to pacify the angry poor dwellers, the police shot him dead. Though a man of peace committed
Christian leader, he was a victim of police violence.
1) Who is to blame? Whose sin is it? Who is responsible?
2) What does salvation mean for them? Why does injustices grow in numbers?
3) Where is God in all these?

The Nature of the Option

Option, in this nature, does not mean an optional alternative but rather a decision and commitment in
favor of the poor.
Preferential means the choice of the poor as a priority of Christian witnessing to justice and solidarity.
Poor embraces the many human faces: the faces of the poor children, the hopeless and frustrated youth,
peasants, laborers, squatters aged, etc.
Option for the Poor, therefore, is to love the poor which means living with them, lending a helping hand,
giving service where needed, being just, honest and pure, gentle, truthful and kind to them.
The Demands of the Option for the Poor
This demands choices of commitment both in attitude and behavior.
1. It requires true solidarity with the poor.
2. It demands the denunciation and struggle against injustice and oppression. It includes repudiation
of any political or social alliance with those who unjustly hold power or privilege in the society.
Taking the side of the poor will inevitably mean opposition to and conflict with powers that be that a
Christian must seek to resolve in a non-violent manner.
3. It demands the conscientization of the poor.
Evangelizers
An appeal to the poor to work for a change in their own socio-political situation.
Real social formation takes place only when the poor are able to achieve their development, based on
their inherent dignity and resources.
4. It demands the organization of the poor. They need to be organized for better and more effective
action.. However, a Christian must always bear in mind not to absolutize his/her identification with
the movements of the poor.
5. It demands the commitment to the Integral Liberation of the poor.
Integral Liberation is the liberation from sin and from everything else that hinders the poors total
development as a person. It is the proclamation of the inalienable and irreducible dignity of the human
person and a commitment to develop long-range programs that meet their needs to overcome social
deprivation.
A Christian Demand for ALL
The Option for the Poor is a very personal choice of faith made by an individual-committed Christian
who desires to share in Christs work of bringing salvation to the world. However, a personal option for the
poor is not enough. There is a need for concerted efforts among Christians in a particular institution to opt
for the poor. After all, our way of salvation passes necessarily through the poor.
A Christian Response to Poverty
Preferential Option for the Poor

What does it mean to have special love for the poor?

We cannot love immoderately or selfishly use riches or wealth
We must put into practice the spiritual and corporal works of mercy
Evaluate social and economic activity from the viewpoint of the poor and powerless

A Place at the Table: Everyone is invited to gather to eat, to make decisions, and to worship, including
families & individuals, government, community organizations and faith-based institutions, marketplace and
institutions of business, commerce and labor, institutions that help society stand with the poor

Eliminating Poverty
How can we fight poverty?
a. Change attitudes to the poor
b. Support full and equal employment and just wage
c. Empower the poor to help themselves
d. Make education of the poor a top priority
e. Continually evaluate how tax system affects the poor
f. Reform nations welfare programs to help recipients become self-sufficient
g. Governmental efforts to preserve and protect family operated farm
h. People have created the economy; they can change it
i. Simple question should be asked, Does it support or
threaten human dignity?

(7) WORK & WORKERS

Whatever your work I, put your heart into it as done for the Lord and not for human beings, knowing
that the Lord will repay you by making you heirs. It is Christ the Lord that you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24
Did you know...
Our Catholic tradition sees work as an essential way to build a life
The Church denounces the abuse of workers and the exploitation of persons to make money
A Christian View of Work
We are made in Gods image and we share the privilege of helping God in his work of creation
Work has dignity because we share in Gods own activity when we work
Work - sustained effort with the intent to produce or accomplish something
Two different views
Objective: the product or outcome of work
Subjective: the human person and his/her involvement in work

The purpose of work is to fulfill our one humanity and benefit the humanity of those our work serves
Work exists for human beings; human beings do not exist for work
The person is the central focus of work
Labor has priority over capital
Christian teaching holds that people have the right to private property and that workers have the right
to share in profits; however, people come before profits

Work is not an option but a duty

Moral significance of work
Fundamental means for people to express and develop themselves as human beings
Enables people to contribute to the well-being of the larger community
Ordinary way to provide for material needs
Why should we work?
Work can be a way for us to grow closer to Jesus Christ
Rights and Duties of Workers
Groups that are part of a nations economy
workers
government
owner
Things to consider:
A job is important to
Help us earn the material means needed to make a living
Help achieve human fulfillment- a just society provides jobs for its people
Just wage - A wage that will help workers meet their needs and those of their family, and give them a
degree of security
a. Food
b. Clothing
c. Shelter
d. Transportation
e. Education
f. Health Care
g. Recreation
h. Life and disability
i. Pension
j. Unemployment
Healthful working conditions

Weekly rest

Paid vacations

Emergency leave time


Reasonable security against dismissal
Keep in mind
Workers have a right to rest that elevates the human spirit by giving people time to worship God
Workers have a right to a working environment and to manufacturing processes that are not harmful to
the workers health or moral integrity
Workers have the right to form unions to defend and secure other rights due them

Workers also have the right to strike

Companies should work with unions to empower workers to feel a sense of ownership in their places of
employment
Catholic teaching holds that health care is a basic human right because it is essential to
human
dignity
Medical coverage in America
o Private insurance
o Medicare (government sponsored programs for the aged)
o Medicaid (government sponsored programs for the poor)

Dignity of work and the rights of workers

Society must pursue economic justice, i.e. the economy must serve people, not the other way around.
Work help us to make a living and to participate in Gods creation.
The dignity of work is safeguarded when workers rights are respected.
Five Fundamental Principles
1) The Priority of Labor over Capital
It follows by no means that those who work daily in such an enterprise are to be considered merely as
servants Mater et Magistra, 83
Capital has the tendency to improve PROFITABILITY at the expense of LABOR.
Human activity proceeds from man: it is also ordered to him. When he works, not only does he
transform matter and society, but he fulfills himself.
He learns, he develops his faculties and he emerges from and transcends himself. Rightly
understood, this kind of growth is more precious than any kind of wealth that can be amassed.
It is what a man is, rather than he has, that counts.
Labor is not a commodity, but an asset and a valuable resource
Labor are REAL PEOPLE with emotions, tendencies and reactions as those of the managers/who
unlike machines, are motivated by human needs and legitimate desires.
As image of God, the human persons natural mission is to subdue the earth and dominate it.
By his labor, he honors the gifts and talents received by him from the creator.
Person is the subject of work/ not its object.
Labor is intrinsically and naturally NOBLE, first am0ng other Ms MONEY, MATERIALS, METHODS
AND MARKETS.
2) Respect for Human Dignity at Work

Labor is GODs people the IMAGE of the LIVING GOD

Contrary Effects of Work
1. When it becomes the CHIEF determinant of human dignity, an INDEX of human worth, it
dehumanizes men and their relationships.
2. Since work promises money, pleasure and power, it can invite selfishness.
3) Respect for Basic Human Rights
Human rights are prerogatives given by God to man which are inalienable, fundamentally important,
unconditional, unchangeable and common to all human beings.
( Pacem in Terris, 1963)
Reality
Violations of Human Rights:
1. Man is considered nothing more than as instrument of production or a necessary item in a
consumer economy.
2. Politicians treat them as fertile soil for gimmicks.
3. To exploit other peoples unpreparedness and ignorance

4. Massive poverty, broad daylights killings and kidnappings, rapes, torture, detention without trial;
OFWs returning physically brutalized, if not, dead; police brutalities, fighting between the government
forces and the rebels; international debt.
Types of Exploitation of Filipino migrant workers face abroad:
1. lack of avenues for redress of grievances
2. excessive workload and deregulated working hours
3. deceptive contractual arrangements, physical abuse and sexual assault
4. maltreatment
5. rape and forcible abortion
Carmelita Dimson, Director in charge of DOLEs Welfare and Employment Office

Human rights and duties

Fundamental rights of human beings exercise of human dignity

4) Social Dimension of Private Property

Right to private property
It includes the following:
1. The prerogative to freely dispose of your properties, i.e., to use, consume, sell, donate, or bequest
it.
2. The exclusive claim to the fruits produced by your properties, whether they are natural or industrial
3. The right to exclude others from acting upon your properties; and
4. The right to restitution in the event of unlawful deprivation or damage to your properties
Personal reason
Right to private property is a necessary right to exercise personal responsibility and self-actualization
towards a more creative development
Moral reason
It provides one with a sense of independence, as it serves as a protection for your freedom.
Social reason
It enables one to provide for the support and development of those who are entrusted to your care.
Psychological reason
It has brought about personal initiative, drive and enterprise.
Two factors that make it a conditional right
Personal Needs
You are not, and no one is, justified to possess, to own, to keep for your exclusive use what you do not
need, particularly when you know in conscience there are many others lacking necessities in life.
Property right is not an absolute right.

The world is given to all, and not only to the rich.

The rich have no right to get richer while the poor get poorer.

God created and destined the earth and all its resources and fruits it contains fro the benefits of all
human residents of this planet.
The Divine Will ordains that all created things and natural resources be shared fairly by all members of the
human family under the guidance of justice and as tempered by charity

5) Preferential Option for the Poor

It is a Christian Preference
He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor Lk 4:18
equally applies to our social responsibilities and hence to our manner of living
embraces those who are hungry, the needy, the homeless, those without medical care and above all
those without hope of a better future
( to ignore these realities is to be like the rich man in the story of The Rich and Lazarus)

A personal choice, but can be a corporate choice

In Solidbank we believe that business has a responsibility to help society, principally its less fortunate
membersWe shall not lose sight of our fundamental mission of enhancing our shareholders return on
investmentBut at the same time, we recognize that there are opportunities for us to make a meaningful
impact in the lives and living conditions of certain underpriviledged communities deserving of our financial
and moral support

CSR ( Corporate Social Responsibility) social investment/ resource sharing/ business ethics
concretized
Work & You: Toil, Job, Career Vocation
Work is a chance for a person to develop his/her personality and grow fuller as a human person
Helps a person contribute to the common good
We share in Gods creative activity and develop this beautiful world given for our benefit
Ways to determine your future career
Pray
Determine your interest and abilities
Research jobs that match your skills and interests
Gain experience
Work on a long-range career goal
(8) SOLIDARITY
Principle of Solidarity
that we are our brothers and sisters keepers, wherever they live loving our neighbor has global
dimensions in an interdependent world. (p 5)
The firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good.
Pope John Paul II
Role of Government and Subsidiarity
The state has a positive moral function.
It is an instrument to promote human dignity, build human rights and promote common good.

(9) STEWARDSHIP
Principle of Stewardship
We are called to protect the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of Gods creation.
The goods of the earth are gifts. We hold them in trust, as stewards.
God destined the earth and all it contains for all people and nations so that all created things would be
shared fairly by all humankind under the guidance of justice tempered by charity.
On the Development of Peoples
The church's teaching about environmental responsibility and stewardship of natural resources is rooted in
the message of Genesis -- the goods of the earth are gifts from God. We humans are not the ultimate
owners of these goods, but rather, the temporary stewards.
Gods Grandeur Threatened
There are many environmental atrocities against our world
Manila suffers from life-threatening air pollution most days of the year
Approximately 50% of all hospital beds in the world are filled with people who have water- born
illnesses
More than 60% of our coastal rivers and bays are moderately to severely
degraded by nutrient runoff
Many effects of global warming
Low-income people and minorities suffer more from environmental contamination

Did you know

All living species, including humans, are
interdependent
We are part of creation and co-dependent
Sin has lead to our serious abuses and environmental crises
Biblical teaching on the environment
1) Creation is good
2) Humans are Gods special creatures
3) Dominion over creation requires cultivation and care
4) Sin has lead humans to abuse the gift of creation
5) Human sin harms the earth
6) Jesus reconciles everything to God, including bringing harmony to creation
7) Jesus teaches how to be a good steward

The Scope of the Environmental Problem

Greenhouse effect > Creation of industrial waste, burning of fossil fuel, unrestricted deforestation,
and the use of certain herbicides, coolants, and propellants
A society that will easily dispose of Gods earth will also find disposing of people easy
What we do to the environment has an impact on the poor
Ecology - science that studies the relationship between organisms and their environment
Rain Forest - dense tropical forest with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches
Risks due to loss of rainforests
Home to more than half of the plant and animal species on earth
Potential for many medicines that come from the plants of the rainforests
Linked to health of atmosphere because they hold reserves of carbon in their vegetation
Soils become unproductive when rainforests are cleared
Rainforests are being destroyed at a staggering rate

Crisis in the availability of clean water for the worlds population

80% of diseases stem from consumption and exposure to unclean water
Industrial pollutants contaminate the worlds water supply

Acid Rain - The burning of fossil fuel releases nitrogen and sulfur oxides into the atmosphere which later
fall as acid rain
Greenhouse effect - accumulation of certain gases in the upper atmosphere, mostly created by the
burning of fossil fuels and the production of other gaseous emissions
Global warming - an average rise in global temperature by 1 to 3.5 degrees Celsius by the year 2100
caused by the greenhouse effect
Ozone depletion has brought many serious health risks
Effects of global warming

Decreased habitats for some animals

Increased droughts

Heat-related deaths

Flooding

Humans have become the exterminator species because of the rapid rate of species extinctions caused by humans

As many as 137 species disappear daily because of human activity

We have the God-given ability to responsibly save other species

Church & World Teaching on Environment
Renewing the Earth
1) A God-centered, sacramental world
2) Respect for life
3) Planetary common good and solidarity
4) Universal purpose of created things
5) Option for the poor
6) Authentic development, consumption and population