Notes on CLE 10

Christian Social Responsibility

 
Week 1 Lessons
( 2 Greatest Commandments )
 You shall love the Lord your God, with all you’re hear, with all your soul, and with
all your mind.
 You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.
 
( Framework of Relationship in building Communities )
 God as the highest
 Self as the middle
 
 Others as the lowest
 
“Jesus reminds us to approach everything with love.” In the same way our way of
looking at Christian Social Responsibility should be on the perspective of love also.

Week 2 Lessons
( Christian Social Responsibility ) – Our response to Christ to help in social
transformation. It is an intrinsic factor in following Jesus in His saving mission on earth,
through the grace of the Holy Spirit.
 
( Book of Job ) – gives us an understanding of human suffering.
 Job experiences different forms of sufferings (lost his possessions, his servants, and
his whole family, he even suffered a wound that stretched from his head to his feet.
 The story of Job teaches us on trusting God amidst our experiences.
 
( 2 Faces of Sufferings )
 ( Human Freewill ) – our actions result to consequences either good or bad. We
experience sufferings as a consequence of an action or decision that we make.
 ( God’s Wisdom ) – Our sufferings if endured with faith leads us to wisdom. This
leads us to see and understand God’s purpose why he allow such things to happen in
our life.
“God always will what is good and the welfare and joy of His people. Sufferings does
not come from God but from the world.”
The Christian view of suffering tells us to trust in God and His love amidst our
sufferings in life.

Jesus offers liberation

( 2 kinds of liberation that Jesus offers )
 ( Freedom from enslaving sin ) – God sets us free from sin which causes our
sufferings.
 ( Freedom of Holistic Liberation ) – Jesus renews ourselves, gives us a new
chance for grow as a person.(the story of Zacchaeus and the Good Samaritan)
 
( Lack of Privation ) – Is the root of all evil. The lack of love in our hearts.
 Without love we grow proud, selfish, and insecure.
 As Christians we are called by God.
 
( 2 kinds of listening )
 ( Following and obeying )– the two greatest Commandments
 ( Attentiveness and alertness )
 
Week 4 Lessons
( Different understanding of the word “Church” )
 ( As a building ) – refers to the structure or the place of worship.
 ( As a hierarchy ) – refers to the hierarchy in the church which consist of bishops,
priest, and deacons. It means the “holy ordering” of the Church.
 ( As a people of God ) – refers to us believers of God. It includes everyone
(inclusive) and does not exclude others. God does not belong to a particular people
because He is the one who calls us. Pope Francis reminds us that the invitation to be
a people of God is addressed to all, without distinction, because God’s mercy wills
everyone to be saved. The mission of the People of God, is “to bring God's hope
and salvation to the world: to be a sign of the love of God who calls all to friendship
with him.”
 
( Church ) – comes from the Greek word “ekklesia” which means the people of God
called together or an assembly convoked by God.
 It is a home for sinners and saints
 It is a community of believers
 Family of all people
 Organic society, meaning it is developing, it is growing.
 
( The church as both human and divine )
 It is divine because she was founded by Jesus Christ. The members of the Church
are continuously helped by the Holy Spirit, and the sacraments which give grace to
all who receive them well. With the help of the Holy Spirit she is protected from
errors on matters of faith and morals, and leads her members to life with God
forever in heaven.
 It is human because her members are human (can make mistakes).
( The church as a Sacrament )
 As a sacrament, the church is Christ’s instrument. “She is taken up by him also as
the instrument for the salvation of all, “the universal sacrament of salvation,” by
which Christ is “at once manifesting and actualizing the mystery of God’s love for
men. The Church is the visible plan of God’s love for humanity,” because God
desires “that the whole human race may become one People of God, form one Body
of Christ and be built up into one temple of the Holy Spirit.
 
( Goal/Mission ): Comes from the Latin word “mitere” which means to send. As sent by
God we should be dynamic and alive, a catalyst of change, and must be on a continuous
journey.
 The church mission is to spread charity- love of God and love of neighbor. This act
of charity should be manifested for all and must show preferential option for the
poor. Meaning we must reach out for those who are living in the periphery, the
outcast. And as we participate in the Church mission, it must be a witnessing of
God’s love.
 Charity leads to social transformation, transformation means a change of practice,
attitude, and practice.
 Transformation begins with ourselves through small or ordinary things in our life.
As members of the Church we must do our part in fulfilling our mission by being
alert to the sufferings of others, consider our gifts and present circumstances and
listen and to believe in the Word of God in the scripture and the Church’s teachings.