Unit 1: Walking with Jesus: A Reflection on the

Eucharist, Social Justice, and our Call to Action

Meals

Jesus’s Meal-Sharing and Table Fellowship

● inclusion; teaching & friendship; healing, change & transformation

1. Meals are an expression of friendship

○ Jesus’ meals manifest the friendship of God—unconditional, warm, and caring
○ It reveals God’s grace that forgives, accepts, and loves without a condescending
attitude nor superiority
2. Food is a gift from God’s generosity and creativity
○ It ​reminds us of our dependence on other people​, as all the food we partake are
products of other people’s work, and consequently, our dependence on God
3. A distorted attitude on food can cause greed and consequently, poverty
○ “Our relationship with food has gone wrong because our relationship with God
has gone wrong”
4. In the Eucharist, God offers us a banquet of abundant life in His Kingdom
○ Jesus prepared this banquet by offering his Body and Blood on the cross, now
being offered to us in the Eucharist

Social Justice and the Eucharist

The Concept of Social Justice

● “For by natural constitution the human person is a social being who cannot live or
develop without relations with others.”
● people are created agor and permanently exist in relationship to others
● respect for human dignity, concern for common good, solidarity, and support
subsidiarity—love and service of neighbor

Love of God and Neighbor

● a seamless garment, mutually existing; incomplete without the other
● our praise and thanksgiving, our worship to God in the Eucharist, comes with a call to
love our neighbor

● Eucharist, an intimate encounter with Christ, develops in us an authentic Christian spirit,

which includes a loving concern for the oppressed, the poor, and the marginalized
○ being a true Christian is caring for those people Christ cared for
 ● by its very nature, the Eucharist commits us to the poor
● when we go to Mass, we believe that it demands and provide substance to the work of
social justice

Jesus’s Three Words

1. “Do this in memory of Me”
○ Eucharist reminds us not only to ritually celebrate the salvation that Christ
brought, ​but also to follow in his footsteps—to give ourselves for the good of
others, to pour out the love Christ has offered for everyone
2. “This is my body which will be given for you”
○ We who are nourished by the Bread of Christ during communion ​cannot remain
indifferent to those who are deprived of daily bread.​ The Eucharist then teaches
out to live in solidarity with the poor
■ “we are who we eat”
● when we eat the body of christ, we become it—the Church
becomes the body (group) of Christ
3. “Take this and share it among yourselves”
○ This means that the Eucharist wherein we are all welcomed to sit at table with
him, ​calls us to share our bread and tables with the poor following Christ’s
example—to extend the table with those whom Christ ate and include them in our
lives

● The Eucharist then relates with justice as it forms us to be the Body of Christ: ​to be
inclusive, to live in unity, and solidarity with others

The Eucharist, Food Insecurity, and Malnutrition

● Jesus is not merely a moral example nor a standard. He is the very life that sustains us,
through the Eucharist, to serve one another in love, generosity, kindness, and justice.
● The Eucharist speaks about social justice. It expresses the unity, solidarity, and
inclusiveness of the Body of Christ and meaning of the sacrifice that Jesus showed to his
disciples then and to us now through the Eucharistic celebration. It directs us to be
concerned about the common good of all.

Multiplication of the Loaves

Jesus shows us a way to live out the Eucharist

● make an option for those who are neglected in society​ and consequently,
● address the experience of scarcity​ and in the process,
● promote social justice
 ● to live a Eucharistic life (inclusivity, unity, & solidarity for the poor) is to counter scarcity

Relating to Present World

● many people lack food and/or have difficulty accessing food
● behind this lack are other needs that were left unsatisfied

Learning Points
1. Jesus and the disciples’ differing reactions
○ Jesus saw the need and what can be done about it (“How many loaves do you
have? Go and see.”), whereas the disciples focused on the problem—scarcity
○ the disciples avoided responsibility
○ Jesus was moved with compassion for the crowd: “Give them food yourselves”

2. “Give them food yourselves” is an invitation to move beyond a mentality of

scarcity into a new way of living: ​with and for others
○ if we keep waiting for a time when we have spare capacity, then we will never be
able to feed the poor

○ principle of subsidiarity
■ helping others help themselves, thus allowing them to be free and
liberated
■ counters dependency because it solves the problem through its root

■ Jesus
● recognizes the need of the crowd, and
● utilized whatever there was in order to help

○ “Give them food yourselves” invites us to a new way of living which begins in and
proceeds through our human vocation to live in relationship with others
■ inviting people not to feed them, but rather to relate

○ There will always be enough, if we learn to live together in love

3. The Eucharistic way of life according to the Multiplication of the Loaves

○ Jesus’s actions: he ​RECEIVED​ the offering by taking them from the generous
boy, ​GAVE THANKS​ by looking up and saying a blessing, B ​ ROKE​ bread thereby
multiplying it, and ​SHARED​ with others through his disciples

a. Receive
■ Everything comes to us as a gift​; nothing can ever be owned as ours by
right
 ■ Whether in moments of insecurity and need or power and control
remember that we receive everything as gifts; attitude of entitlement is a
dangerous poison
b. Give Thanks
■ To give thanks is the most primary of all religious attitude
■ One of the ways that we thank the giver of the gift is by thoroughly
enjoying the gift by using it to the fullest; life, love, and joy are gifts
■ “A joyful heart is a grateful heart. And a grateful heart finds reasons to be
joyful.”
c. Break
■ to ​BE BROKEN​ (tearing apart narcissism, individualism, pride, and
self-serving ambitions that prevents us from giving ourselves to others) ​in
order to
■ BREAK BARRIERS​ (letting go of distrust, bitterness, jealousy, and even
shyness so that we may be capable of empathy, capable of feeling
another person’s anguish, fear, and suffering) ​towards
■ BREAKING BREAD​ with our neighbors (real contact with persons
particularly with the poor who, in our communion with them, are cherished
as persons and not just figures in a statistical data, or a pigment in our
generalizations)
d. Share
■ to ​grow into a community​ where ​actual interaction​ deflates fantasies,
makes us see reality, punctures our self-centeredness, and asks us to
look beyond our own denial and rationalizations—the ultimate goal
■ to truly share means to commit ourselves with others​, in all aspects
■ to share is to sacrifice
● surrender something out of love in order to stretch and change our
hearts
■ to receive and give thanks for a gift is to be willing ​to give some or the
entire gift back to the giver

Synthesis
● A life and relationship of ​inclusiveness, unity, and solidarity
○ by making an option for those who are neglected in society, and consequently,
promote justice and peace
● The Eucharist, not intended to be simply a ritual prayer within which we participate
regularly, will be something that truly touches and colors every area of our lives
● The Eucharist is the work of social justice, and social justice is the product of the
Eucharist
 Unit 2: The Problem that is Poverty
Tayo na sa Talipapa
● simulates the economic/market situation in the real world
● unjust realities of society:
○ some are born into a privileged position, while others are born to poor families
and communities
○ this inequality is further affected by the decisions of individuals and groups, and
the overall interaction of society with one another
● this activity highlights the realities of sinful social structures in our world: the rich gets
richer while the poor gets poorer
○ unequal distribution of goods
○ policies created by business leaders is a factor in the condition of this distribution
○ solidarity not selfishness
○ competition rather than cooperation

● What does the activity tell us about the real world?

○ corruption in the disbursement of government funds
○ policies that favor a sector
○ inconsiderate business factors
○ environmental issues
○ existence of business associations
○ laziness of the poor
○ lack of education
○ ineffective laws or policies
○ election manipulation
○ price manipulation

Key Knowledges
1. POVERTY IS A STRUCTURAL INJUSTICE
○ poverty is more complex
○ poverty is an injustice​—a structural injustice—and ​not just a matter of choice
○ poverty is about ​economic deprivation, deprivation of rights, and lack of
opportunities​—social injustice
○ social context of poverty is the existing socio political apparatus—how players
use their power and what for

○ Structural/Institutionalized Injustice
■ permeates and manifests itself in societal structures and institutions​ and
is not directly caused by an unjust personal attitude
■ determines and limits our activities and vision
 ■ embedded within frameworks of culture and society
■ deep-rooted and widespread
■ infects and poisons entire populations for long periods of time
● entrenched prejudices, immoral practice, inhumane policies,
pernicious influence leads to historical conditioning

○ The Shackles of Structural Injustice

■ social institutions
■ patterns of relationships
■ social interaction and networks
■ socio-economic stratification

2. POVERTY IS MULTI-DIMENSIONAL
○ Perspectives
■ Income Perspective ​(simplistic and limited)
● poverty based on a poverty line​ (agreed upon internationally),
which most countries have calculated, usually along consumption
and income lines
● to be poor is not to have the income needed for a specific amount
of food

● Poverty Line
○ measure of minimum income​ required to meet basic food
and non-food needs

■ Basic Needs Perspective

● poverty is the ​deprivation of material requirements​ for minimally
accepted fulfilment of human needs; including food, basic health,
education, access to clean water, sanitation, and shelter

■ Capability Perspective
● deprivation of opportunities​ (usually caused by prejudices)
● poverty is the ​absence of basic capabilities to function​: lacking the
opportunity to achieve some minimally acceptable levels of these
functionings, from basic food, clothing, shelter, ​and to more
complex achievements like participation

○ Types of Poverty
1. Economic
● lack of assets (e.g. land, housing, tools, carabaos, savings); ​lack
of income and employment
2. Social
 ● lack of access to services (e.g. water, sanitation, health,
education, shelter) or social protection schemes and safety nets;
exclusion by virtue of one’s status or situation
3. Political
● inability to decide your own fate and to have your voice heard
● lack of power, control over one’s life, and lack of participation in
decisions affecting one’s life and family
4. Social Psychological
● poverty causes inability to think for the long run
● sense of powerlessness, lack of self-worth, despair, apathy,
ill-health

○ What is poverty? Who is the poor?

■ ultimate dehumanization​ of poverty is ​not the physical and material
​ egation of people’s selfhood
deprivation​, but the n
■ poverty of the poor is ​caused by other human beings collectively, not
individually
■ poverty leads to death
■ those groups or classes ​who lack the fundamental needs for a decent
human life

Enlarging our Imagination for Social Justice

Why should we care about poverty?

● “In the poor we find Jesus in distressing disguise”
● God commands it
● Jesus cared for the poor
● “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other”
● “If you want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp
burning, we have to keep putting oil in it”

● Our loving response to God should not simply be an accumulation of token gestures of
“charity a la carte” aimed at easing out conscience
● The Gospel is not merely about our personal relationship with God

● God’s reign within us, and among us in society: universal fraternity, justice, peace, and
dignity
● The Gospel is about the KINGDOM OF GOD
 ● Seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you
as well” - MT 6:33
● Christian preaching and life should have an IMPACT in society

● Our faith in Christ who became poor, and was always close to the poor and the outcast
is the basis of our concern for the integral development of society’s most neglected
members

CONTACT with the POOR

● physical human touch
● we are dealing with people, not problems
● poverty is a condition, not a misfortune
● it is not merely a social issue. It is very much human

● 4 CST Principles
○ a framework
○ a test of structures and systems
○ a check-up on values: persons over things? morality over technology?

● poverty is a result of relationships that do not work

● pain and injustice is multiplied when we fail to see our neighbor. ​Apathy intensifies
poverty
● solving poverty while maintaining the status quo is not possible
● unconditional and unexpected service, magis, breaking bread with our neighbors are
powerful

Social Justice: A Cure to Poverty

Justice
● defined not by merits (money, material things), but by needs
● poverty, unemployment, daily basic needs for oneself and one’s family
● meeting people’s needs regardless of what they deserve

● “Go and do likewise”—how Jesus ends his parables

○ maintaining the status quo vs alleviating poverty
○ unexpected and unconditional service
○ power of magis and mercy
○ power of breaking bread with our neighbor

Why should we care about poverty?

 ● Eliminating poverty is reasonable. It ​begins with showing care by understanding poverty
from the perspective of faith​.

Two Points of Morality of Economics and Economic Growth

1. MORALITY AND ECONOMICS ARE INTRINSICALLY RELATED
○ both are concerned with human action, conduct, choices, and decisions
○ bad character leads to bad economics and bad public policy, which is bad for all
people, especially the poor whose opportunities and options are limited
○ business transactions must be hinged on basic sense of morality

○ What did Jesus teach that is linked to economics?

■ Jesus clarifies us to a new manner of social life that is characterized by
justice, brotherhood, solidarity, and sharing

2. ECONOMIC ACTIVITY HAS A RELIGIOUS DIMENSION

○ economic activity is to be considered as a grateful response to the vocation
which God holds out for each person
○ man is placed in the Garden to till it and keep it, making use of it within well
specified limits, with a commitment to perfecting it
■ hiring without discrimination
■ providing good working conditions
■ good pay
○ God, in the Scriptures, calls us to be good administrations of goods received
including material goods, to use properly
○ even the economy and progress can be a venue to experience salvation; in these
areas too ​it is possible to express love and solidarity and to contribute to the
growth and development of people​.
○ economic growth then has a religious significance for it allows us to alleviate
poverty.​ And it can if its ​original function as an instrument for the overall growth of
man and society​ is not betrayed

Social Justice
● virtue that inclines one to cooperate with others in order to ​help make the institutions of
society better serve the common good
● individual obligations are carried out​ with others in an organized group that ​identifies the
needs of society and uses appropriate means to meet these needs
● institutions as tools for personal and social development​, providing access to what is
good for persons—individually and in association with others

Economic Justice and its Three Principles

● What is economic justice?
○ principled pursuit of growth
○ working for common good of all
 ○ moral principles guide the design of economic institutions (network of commercial
organizations) such that livelihood, contracts, and agreements, exchanges of
goods and services ​promote the economic good and sustenance of all

1. COMMUTATIVE JUSTICE
○ fundamental ​fairness in all agreements and exchanges​ between individuals or
private social groups
○ demands respect for the equal dignity of persons​ in economic transactions,
contracts, or promises

2. DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE
○ allocation of income, wealth, and power be evaluated in light of its effects on
persons whose basic needs are unmet
○ “the right to have a share of earthly goods sufficient for oneself and one’s family
belongs to everyone … we are obliged to come to the relief of the poor ...”

3. SOCIAL JUSTICE AS CORRECTIVE PRINCIPLE (CONTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE)

○ detects distortion in economic transactions​, ​in allocation of income, wealth, and
power​, and ​seeks to overcome patterns of exclusion and powerlessness
○ “Contributive Justice” stresses the duty of all who are able to help create goods,
services, and values necessary for the welfare of the whole community