Cle Finals reviewer

The Value of Human Work

 Laborem Exercens by St. John Paul II
 Objective dimension: the kind of activity humans do and the things they produce
 Subjective dimension: the worker and what becomes of the worker
 Blue-collar workers: muscle
 White-collar workers: brain
 Pink-collar: human interaction; needs training and skill
 Work is a symbol of social status and self-worth
 Blue-collar workers tend to look down on themselves and their work
 “Magsasaka lang ako” etc.
 Monetary compensation is important but the effect of work on us and our community is more
important
[Understanding Human Work]
 Intelligence, creativity, and free choice are involved
 What differs us from animals who also work: we are unpredictable
 Free choice enables us to grow up and mature which is why we work

[What Is Work?]
 In L.E, work is defined as a sustained human activity done for a purpose
 Work is a duty
 Through work we can:
1) Earn a living and provide for our material needs
2) Express and develop ourselves as unique creatures of God – make use of our talents
3) Serve our community

[Dimensions of Human Work]

Objective Dimension

 Output or product of human effort

 Agriculture and Fishing
 Humans deal with the earth

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  Traditionally constituted the primary field of economic activity and indispensable factor of
productions
 Technology
 May refer to the machines or methods
 Technology is what makes work possible, in some cases
 Industry
 Higher and more sophisticated products of work
 Social Structures, Systems of Services, and Civilization
 Considered as one of the products of human work
 Collaboration of various kinds of human work

Subjective Dimension

 The workers as the subject or agents of their work

 Human persons endowed with gifts, capable of choosing, and freely acting on their own self-
actualization and the development of the world
 Work is important because workers are human beings
 Possible expressions of the subjectivity of human work:
1) Human persons are the purpose of work
 We must feel that we are working for our good and the good of our community
a) Work supports human dignity
o An occasion for us to express and increase our dignity
o The moment we feel that we exist only to work, our dignity is violated
o “Isang kahig, isang tuka”
o Not the kind of work God calls us to do
b) Work helps build healthy relationships and promotes responsibility
o We become responsible people open to communication with other people
2) Work is for the common good
 No matter how small that part [of work] is, if it supports human dignity, it serves the common
good
3) Labor is more important than capital
 The value of work must be seen in the way that they are treated
 Workers must be given more importance than machines, technologies, etc., that are considered
as capital

[Rights and Duties of Workers]

 Unskilled workers: subjected to unfair labor practices and human exploitation

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  Violation of their rights is the cause of social inequality and social unrest

Right to Work

1) Employment
 Suitable employment for all
 Unemployment harms the dignity and threatens the survival of people
 Must be a top priority of the government and private individuals and/or institutions
2) Work environment
 Adequate safety measures and equipment must be provided
3) Work hours
 Right to legitimate rest
 Overwork can lead to burnout and sickness

Right to a Just Share in the Fruits of the Work (Laborem Exercens 19)

1) Right to a just wage

 They have the right to receive enough wage to:
a) Support a family
b) Attend to their other needs
c) Have a certain degree of security
d) Spare mothers and children from working
2) Social benefits
 Health care, pension, and accident insurance

Right to Organize (Laborem Exercens 20)

1) Right to form associations

 Labor or trade unions
 Virtue of solidarity and the principle of subsidiarity
 Potent means for workers to handle their problems
 Goals of unions:
a) Promote and protect the worker’s rights and duties
b) Serve as a venue for workers to express their work-related concerns
c) Contribute to the well-being of the community
2) Right to strike or work stoppage
 Right to strike without being subjected to personal penal sanctions for taking part

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 [Solidarity with the Worker]
 Human work is something personal and social
1) Direct employer: a person or institution with which workers enter directly into a work contract
within the bounds of specific work conditions
2) Indirect employer: different sectors or elements aside from the direct employer that affect the
condition of the work relationship
 Individual choices can affect conditions in the larger society, particularly in the plight of the
worker
 E.g. supporting locally made products which gives a positive effect on the salary of local
workers

[Spirituality of Human Work]

1) Participation in God’s creative work
 We are the beneficiaries of God’s infinite providence
 We participate in God’s creative work by the way we live
 Our good work helps us continue God’s work in the here and now
a) Unique
o Extension of ourselves due to the work we put into our talents, strengths, and interests
b) Universal
o Our work is connected to others’ work
2) Collaboration with Christ’s redemptive mission
 God’s choice to work as a man in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ
 He blended in with the rest of us and became a carpenter
 His different types of work enabled him to:
1) Teach, 2) Understand the suffering of people, 3) Lift the people from their burdens,
4) Invite His apostles, and 5) Call everyone to be holy in the context of their work
 Our work is linked to Jesus’ cross
 The suffering we experience in our work is often brought by our own weaknesses and sins
 Strive to do the good

3) Cooperation with the work of the Holy Spirit

 Holy Spirit was sent to give us strength and hope amidst our suffering
 “Ora et labora” – prayer and work
 Prayer and work go hand in hand

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 [Natural Characteristics of Work]
 Personal: his/her own abilities, energies, self-improvement, and creativity
 Necessary: preservation of life, builds society
 Form of service: done for ourselves

Lent
 40-day preparation for Easter Sunday
 Lent means “spring time” since it coincides with the season of spring
 Depends on the full moon after the spring equinox
 “Kuwaresma” in Filipino, “Cuaresma” in Spanish
 Ash Wednesday is NOT a Holy Day of obligation
 Required: fasting and abstinence
 Code of the Canon Law:
 Fasting is for 18-59 years old, abstinence is for 14-60 years old
 Fasting and abstinence leads us to love the poor
 Intentionally neglecting to fast and abstain is a sin. Unintentionally fasting and abstaining has
three different substitutes: perform sacrifices, offer prayers, and help the suffering
 The singing of Gloria and the Hallelujah is suspended during Lent in preparation for Easter
 Singing of the Gloria is required during Solemnity of Saint Joseph and Solemnity of the
Annunciation
 Violet stands for penance, contrition, and preparation of the soul
 Rose, symbolizing joy, is worn on Laetare Sunday or the 4th Sunday of Lent
 White, symbolizing purity, is worn during the feasts of Saint Joseph and the Annunciation

Care for the Environment

 Laudato Si’ by Pope Francis (mind the apostrophe!)
 Biggest problems of today:
 Pollution and climate change
 Access to a clean and adequate supply of water
 Loss of biodiversity
 Decline in the quality of human life and the increase in social inequality
 Genesis 1:26-30 -> talks about the creation of man and the environment

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 [St. Francis of Assisi]
 Francis would refer to God’s creation as “brother” or “sister”
 It is our call; this must be our attitude toward the whole of creation

[Laudato Si]
 An encyclical on the environment - on the care of our common home
 “Praise be to you!” -> opening lines of a prayer
 A need for dialogue to talk about how he would shape our planet – our common home
 Everything that happens in the environment affects us

[Key Church Teaching on Care for Creation]

1) Integrity of creation
2) Universal destination of goods
3) Caring for our common home

Integrity of Creation

 Asserts the interconnectedness of all creation. If something happens to one aspect of creation, the
whole of creation is affected
 Related ideas:
o Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkaugnay
o Circle of life
o Butterfly effect

Universal Destination of Goods

 God gave all of creation for everyone to be used to live life fully
 One must not deprive others of basic needs; rather, we must work so that each may gain what they
need to live
 The right to private property is NOT absolute
 Our private property must be used for the common good because God created all things
 We cannot say that we are the final owners of the material possessions that come from God

Caring for Our Common Home

 Environment is our common home, it is a collective good

 “Matter of common and universal duty, that of appreciating and respecting common good”- CSDCC
466
 Called to be stewards
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 Stewardship is for our own good
 We have no right to exploit or destroy God’s creation

[The Change Within]

 An inward change on one’s view of the created world must be inititated
 We are a part of it! And thus, resources must not be exploited
 The “throw-away” mentality must be eradicated (Sir had the chance to say “must go away” but he
missed it. Sad.)

[Concrete Action]
1) Dialogue with others regarding common problem
2) Educating others regarding the environmental problem
3) Lifestyle changes (E.g. simplicity)

LOOKING INTO THE CHRISTIAN VOCATION

 Vocation: respond to Christ’s call of “Follow me”
 Pattern our lives on the Spirit, teaching, and example of Jesus Christ
 As Christians, we have a common vocation
 If by nature we are forever thirsting for meaning and fullness, God by nature is love and self-giving
 He offers us His life full of love because He is love
 God creates the desire and capacity to receive Him
 Vocare: “to summon” or “call someone over” (Latin)
1) The one who calls is God
2) We share a common Christian vocation that is rooted in our baptism
 First calling is to be with and in Christ
3) We share this call with others

[Things to Consider When Discerning a Call]

1) Discern
 Asses your different options
 Consult a spiritual director
2) Study yourself
 Have a realistic knowledge of yourself – your skills, talents, interests, character, etc.
 Ask what you can contribute to society
3) Live a good life as you prepare for your future vocation

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  The vocation they’re talking about is either you’ll get married, or live a single blessedness life,
live religious life, or be ordained as bishops/priests. All this will be discussed later (buckle your
seatbelt if you haven’t already)
4) Develop good relationships with your family, friends, and the community to become a more loving
person
 We cannot give and share others what we do not have ourselves
 True love for Christians is loving others by sharing in Christ’s love within them through grace

[Living Out Our Christian Vocation]

1) The lay state
 Laity: the faithful who by baptism are incorporated into Christ as members of the People of
God, Christ’s “Body”
 Live in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life
 Vocation of the laity: infuse the secular world with the Spirit of the Gospel through their
words, moral actions, and life of worship
a) Married life
- Matrimony
- 1) the sacramental celebration of the union of man and woman before God and
people
- 2) their ongoing married life (CFC 1898)
b) Celibate life
- Some people don’t marry and decide to stay single and celibate
- Offer their live through service of their family, church, or society
2) The religious state
 Consecrated to God
 Pledge themselves by public vows to the practice of evangelical counsels – poverty,
chastity, and obedience
 Deep faith in God and love for the Church
3) The clerical state
 “Presbyteroi”: elders (Greek)
 Priesthood

[Nurturing Our Vocation]

The Importance of Prayer

 Should pray regularly – especially when there is no ongoing crisis in your life
 Prayer is a loving, conscious, personal relationship with God
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  Basic types of prayer
 Adoration
 Contrition
 Thanksgiving
 Supplication or petition
 Offering
 We pray to be:
1) To be transformed by God
2) To respond to God’s call for us to “be still”
3) Draw strength from Christ

Different Ways of Praying

A. Personal prayer
 Authentic prayer: grounded in Scripture, actively related to others
 Actively related to others
 Seeking to discern and follow the Spirit’s movement within us
 Formative and transformative in regard to personal growth
B. Types of prayer
1) Reciting traditional prayers
2) Listening to religious songs
3) Silent prayer, or prayer of the quiet
4) Praying with nature
5) Praying as the saints did
6) The Consciousness Examen
7) Go online and search for different prayers
C. Public, Communal, Liturgical Prayer
 Grounded in Eucharistic celebration
 The Eucharist is at the center of Catholic life

[Eucharistic Spirituality: To Become Bread Broken and Shared]

 Eucharist -> one of the greatest sacraments
 “breaking of the bread”
 Source and summit of Christian life (Lumen Gentium)
 When we receive Communion, this redeeming love of our Risen Lord enters into us sacramentally
 Ways to develop our Eucharistic spirituality:
1) Faithfulness to the Sunday Eucharist

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 2) Choosing to go to weekday Masses
3) Celebrating special feasts on the Holy Eucharist
4) Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
 To be a “Eucharistic person”: be personally devoted to the Risen Christ, serve others, share His
very life, and be in union with Him
 Eucharistic table: table of social non-distinction, a place where the rich and poor are called to be
together beyond all class and status
 Go out and reach out to the poor
 Treat each other equally

Persons and Career

Career and Life Goals

 Career growth or development: Process through which your distinct characteristics for work are
formed

Personal Mission Statement

 Ask yourself:
 What do I want from life?
 Where do I want to go?
 What do I believe or value in life?
 How do I get there?
 Consider the following steps:
1) Define your goals
2) Set a target date
3) Identify ways on how to reach your goals
4) Identify your “sign post” (your smaller goals within your larger goals)

Personal Factors Influencing Career Choices

1) Personality
2) Values
3) Interests
4) Skills
5) Attitudes

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Personality Traits and Career Options

1) Realistic type
 Activities where they can create and manipulate things by using their hands
 Mechanical abilities
2) Investigative type
 Occupations that focus on scientific endeavors
 Analytical, independent, introvert, rational, methodical, curious, and reserved people
3) Artistic type
 Activities that are free, unsystematic, and creative
 Imaginative, emotional, nonconforming, expressive, independent, open, idealistic, and original
people
4) Social type
 Activities that will help others to develop and be enlightened
 Convincing, responsible, patient, helpful, understanding, cooperative, friendly, kind, and
sympathetic people
5) Enterprising type
 Activities that influence or convince others to achieve organization and economic growth
 Enthusiastic, energetic, pleasure-seeking, domineering, acquisitive, ambitious, extrovert,
impulsive, self-confident, adventurous, and popular people
6) Conventional type
 Activities that are structured and orderly
 Thrifty, efficient, careful, orderly, conforming, inhibited, conscientious, and obedient

[Career Pathways]
Job versus Career

 Job: activities or tasks that people do whether they are paid or not
 Routinely done. Done for financial security and stability
 Career: life-long vocation that is planned and follows a logical progression of jobs within the
chosen profession

External Factors Influencing Choice of Career

1) Family
2) Peer group influence
3) Financial or economic condition
4) Mass media

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Career Paths

1) Steady state
 Characterized by a fixed improvement in knowledge and skills
 E.g. medical, dental, and engineering professions
2) Linear path
 Upward movement where an increase in responsibility and authority at work is observed
 E.g. managers and politicians
3) Transitory path
 Continuous movement in a career, and jobs are usually short term
 Working from one office and then laterally be transferred to another office
4) Spiral path
 Regular changes in one’s job, usually in a span of five to seven years
 E.g. flight attendant who moves into teaching, a guidance counsellor who moves into human
resource work, etc.

Steps in Creating a Career Path

1) Assessment
 Become more aware of yourself
2) Explore career opportunities
3) Narrow down your list of career choices or options
4) Decide or choose the best option
5) Set your goals and implement your plans

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