C a t h o lic So c ia l Te a c h in g

A Ke y t o C a t h o lic Id e n t it y

The Problem
Fa r t o o m a n y C a t h o lic s a r e u n fa m ilia r w it h t h e b a s ic c o n t e n t o f C a t h o lic s o c ia l t e a c h in g . Mo r e fu n d a m e n t a lly, m a n y C a t h o lic s d o n o t a d e q u a t e ly u n d e r s t a n d t h a t t h e s o c ia l m is s io n o f t h e C h u r c h is a n e s s e n t ia l p a r t o f C a t h o lic fa it h . Th is p o s e s a s e rio u s c h a lle n g e fo r a ll C a t h o lic s , s in c e it w e a k e n s o u r c a p a c it y t o b e a C h u r c h t h a t is t r u e t o t h e d e m a n d s o f t h e G o s p e l. We n e e d t o d o m o r e t o s h a r e t h e s o c ia l m is s io n a n d m e s s a g e o f o u r C h u r c h .
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions U.S. Bishops, 1998

A Key to Catholic Identity

The central message is simple: our faith is profoundly social. We cannot be called truly Catholic unless we hear and heed the Church's call to serve those in need and work for justice and peace.
Communities of Salt and Light, U.S. Bishops, 1993

Vatican IIs Ecclesiology

The Church is a sign and a safeguard of the dignity of the human person. A religious organization whose purpose it is to help bring about the Reign of God in history. The social mission is constitutive NOT extra-curricular or optional.

J u s t i c e i n t h e Wo r l d , 1 9 7 1 Sy n o d Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel, or, in other words, of the Church's mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.

Constitutive Elements of Church

Sc rip t u r e
Ne w s

-- h e a rin g t h e Go o d

Sa c r a m e n t s -- w o r s h ip , p r a y e r life ,
e tc .

So c ia l Mis s io n
s o c ia l ju s t ic e

-- a c t io n fo r

Catholic Social Teaching

Rooted in the Bible Continually developed in Catholic Social Teaching -- See, judge, act

 God is active in human history Creation Covenant relationship Community

Biblical themes of justice

Anawim -- "the widows, orphans and aliens The example of Jesus reign of God, healing

In biblical faith, the doing of justice is the primary expectation of Yahweh.

Walter Brueggeman

Cycle of Baal

Community, State of Restoration Blessing Become Owners Forget the Poor Forget Yahweh Create Other Gods Self Destruction

Cry out for Deliverance Kill the Prophets Prophets: The Poor

Vatican II
This split between the faith which many profess and their daily lives deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age. Long since, the Prophets of the Old Testament fought vehemently against this scandal and even more so did Jesus Christ Himself in the New Testament threaten it with grave punishments.

Modern Catholic Social Teaching Modern Catholic Social Teaching

1891 1931 1961 1963 1965 1967 1971 1971 1979 1981 1988 1991 1995 Rerum Novarum Quadragesimo Anno Mother and Teacher Peace on Earth Church in the Modern World The Development of Peoples A Call to Action Justice in the World Redeemer of Humanity On Human Work On Social Concern The One Hundredth Year The Gospel of Life Leo XIII Pius XI John XXIII John XXIII Vatican II Paul VI Paul VI
Synod of Bishops

John Paul II John Paul II John Paul II John Paul II John Paul II

Society
ut iv e
ri nt Co

Di st

rib

tiv bu e

Individual Commutative (Contractual)

Individual

Major Themes from Catholic Social Teaching 1. Human dignity 2. Community 3. Rights and duties 4. Option for the poor 5. Participation 6. Economic Justice 7. Stewardship of Creation 8. Solidarity 9. Role of Government 10. Promotion of Peace

1. Human dignity
The person is sacred, made in the image of God.

2. Community / Common Good

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

Every man for himself, said the elephant as he danced among the chickens.
Charles Dickens

3. Rights and duties

Civil/ o litic a l p Ec o n o m ic / c ia l so
Ev e r y p e r s o n h a s a rig h t t o t h e b a s ic m a t e ria l n e c e s s it ie s t h a t a r e r e q u ir e d t o liv e a d e c e n t life .

4. Option for the Poor

Re m e m b e r t h e w id o w s , o r p h a n s , a n d a lie n s . A n e c e s s a r y e le m e n t o f t h e c o m m o n go o d

5. Participation
All people have a right to a minimum level of participation in the economic, political, and cultural life of society.

6. Economic Justice
The economy must serve people, not the other way around. People are more important than things; labor is more important than capital. All workers have a right to productive work, to decent wages, to safe working conditions; and they have a right to organize and join unions. People have a right to economic initiative and private property, but these rights have limits. No one is allowed to amass excessive wealth when others lack the basic necessities of life.

7. Stewardship of 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

8. The Virtue of Solidarity

It is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say, to the good of all ...because we are all really responsible for all.
Pop e Joh n Pau l II, On Social Concern, 1987

9. Role of Government
The state has a positive moral function. It is an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights, and build the common good Subsidiarity
As small as possible

10. Promotion of Peace

Peace is not just the absence of war If you want peace, work for justice.
Pope Paul VI, 1972, World Day of Peace Message

Major Themes from Catholic Social Teaching 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Human dignity Community Rights and duties Option for the poor Participation Economic Justice Stewardship of Creation Solidarity Role of Government Promotion of Peace

analyze with objectivity the situation?

How will we do those things?

draw principles of reflection, norms of judgment, and directives of actions?

Christian Social Analysis

a.k.a PASTORAL SPIRAL

What is it?
Is a thorough process of identifying an event or experience or issue that concerns a community, analyzing it and understanding it thoroughly especially with regard to its causes and finally planning, implementing, and evaluating an appropriate Christian response.

How was it developed?

1800s, Cardinal Joseph Cardijn, used a process called the See-Judge-Act framework. many Christian communities have used it in dealing with social issues taken on many different forms such as Action-Reflection-Action (ARA) used by some Basic Christian Communities in the Philippines.

How was it developed?

Pastoral Cycle,
seeing the situation; reflection in faith; and action planning

Pastoral Spiral Bishops Institute for Social Action (BISA), Office of Human Development (OHD) Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC). an expanded and more dynamic version of the Pastoral Cycle.

Experience
This stage is concerned with seeing or scrutinizing the signs of the times. It involves more than an academic analysis of the situation and necessitates an immersionexposure process of knowing the reality.

Experience
It answers the following questions: What did I
See Hear Smell Taste Feel

What do these observations have to do with my life?

Social analysis
A scientific observation of the economic social, political, cultural, and religious situation of any given context. It will lead to a more systematic knowledge of the reality It allows us to look for the ROOT CAUSE of the problem by asking WHY.

Social analysis
Searching for the structural causes Understanding how the whole of society works Understanding how a small problem in society can be part of the whole problem in society Understanding how each small struggle for justice can be part of the whole struggle for justice in our society.

Social analysis
Economic structures Who is growing richer from this situation? How do they become rich? Who is growing poorer from this situation? What are people doing to change it?

Social analysis
Political structures Who is gaining power from this situation? How do they gain power? Who is losing power from this situation? What are the people doing about this situation?

Social analysis
Social structures Who gains peoples support and loyalty in this situation? How does this happen? What influences peoples values? Who loses peoples support and loyalty? What is helping change the situation?

In the end
The completion of the first Pastoral Spiral necessarily results in a new situation. Presence of new learning and value, deeper realization of the intransigence of the situation and of the need for better responses shall have emerged. newness in the apparently old situation. A new Pastoral Spiral can begin.

Assignment
Get the news regarding WB not allowing the Philippines to borrow money for road projects On a clean sheet of paper analyze the situation by processing it through social analysis.

Implications for Catholic Educators

Catholic schools, religious education and faith formation programs are vitally important for sharing the substance and values of the Catholic social justice heritage. Just as the social teaching of the Church is integral to Catholic faith, the social justice dimensions of teaching are integral to Catholic education and catechesis. They are an essential part of Catholic identity and formation.
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions U.S. Bishops, 1998

Seven Commandments for Integrating Catholic Social Teaching into Our Faith

1. Rooted in prayer and worship. 2. Integrate, dont isolate. 3. Content counts study the documents. 4. Competency really counts. 5. Charity (social service) is not enough. 6. Thou shalt see, judge, act. 7. Thou shalt have fun!

Make sure the teaching is rooted in prayer and worship.

Cultivate a spirituality that is not just private, but also public and social.
Catholicism does not call us to abandon the world, but to help shape it. This does not mean leaving worldly tasks and responsibilities, but transforming them.
Everyday Christianity: To Hunger and Thirst for Justice U.S. Bishops, November, 1998

Integrate, dont isolate

The commitment to human life and dignity, to human rights and solidarity is a calling every Catholic must share. It is not a vocation for a few, but a challenge for every Catholic educator. The values of the Church's social teaching must not be treated as tangential or optional. They must be a core part of teaching and formation.
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions, U.S. Bishops, 1998

Content counts
Study the documents.

There is a universal need to be more explicit in teaching the principles of Catholic social thought and helping people apply and act on those principles.
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions U.S. Bishops, 1998

Competency really counts

We strongly urge Catholic to create additional resources and programs that will address the lack of familiarity with Catholic social teaching among many.
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions U.S. Bishops, 1998

Charity (social service) is not enough.

There is a need for Catholic educational and catechetical programs not only to continue offering direct service experiences, but also to offer opportunities to work for change in the policies and structures that cause injustice.
Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions U.S. Bishops, 1998

Thou shalt See, Judge, Act

See the facts; know the reality Use social analysis and moral values to make judgments about the facts Plan a realistic and effective strategy for action

Thou shalt have fun

No one likes a grim do-gooder!

Conclusion
Salt and Light for the World

Youre supposed to be the leaven in the loaf, not part of the lump.

Separation of Church and State

Common Good

Society

Politics
Public Order
Public Peace Basic Rights Public Morality

State