Christian Vision of the Church in Society:

Life and the Dignity of the Human Person (Part 1.a)

What could be the connection and relevance of this course with the previous theology courses and to
you, personally? The two Theology courses 1 and 2 as you could remember (which I hope you do) is
fundamentally about Christian Morality and Marriage and Family Life, where the former equipped you
to see and evaluate your personal moral compass if this is aligned with our Christian virtues, values, and
principles. On the other hand, the objective of Thy 2 is for you to evaluate your readiness in a
relationship where you can practice the virtues and share your values and principles to your future
family. Indeed, you cannot say that you are ready to marry after the course, but at least it gives you an
idea how far and what else do you need to prepare in building a Christian family. For sure, you need a
good foundation of Christian ideals, but you also need to know how to deal with relationships, because
the reality is that we are not just dealing with another person’s religious beliefs or faith, but part of the
package is the whole personality of this person (in the Philippine context, this includes the extended
families). Hence, I hope you did learn not only the technical, spiritual, and theological aspects of
marriage and family life, 1 but also some of the ways on how to create a healthy partnership and family
practically and really (especially when challenges, conflicts, misunderstandings, issues and the like arise).

This theology course, Christian Vision of the Church in Society brings you to another level where you can
practice or apply on a social level what you learn (thus far) from theology 1 and 2 courses (personal and
familial level, respectively). As Christians, our reference point on how to be more human, is Jesus. One
way of doing this is to familiarise ourselves about his life through the gospels, while to understand his
culture is to look back at the Hebrew bible or the Old Testament. However, being time pressed, our focal
point will be the New Testament, while time to time make some reference to the Old Testament, when
we examine justice in general and social justice.
The Church unceasingly calls for social justice that upholds particular social principles that many of
its faithful seem to be unaware. This is an opportunity for us to re-examine current condition, not
limited to the pandemic, but cipher its connection to other social issues which we are involved or
participants (directly or indirectly) in the light of the gospel values (always in reference to Christ) and the
Catholic social principles. There are seven (7) major principles (or themes) that is inherent in the catholic
social traditions, namely: 2

1 Often what is missed out is that, in Thy 2 we tend to neglect the essentials of parenting. Parenting does not only happen when
you have children, because that will be too late to practice good parenting. What many of us do not realize that parenting
begins with the self, then it extends to your spouse, then later to your own children. Hence, practicing parenting begins now,
with you.
2 The source where these principles is explained in a simplistic manner is available at: https://www.crs.org/resourcecenter/CST-

101. This website will be used from time-to-time when we reach a specific theme.
 As mentioned earlier, this course will be divided into two parts: (Part 1) to see the reality in the
light of Jesus’ life and response (referencing to the gospels), as well as to understand the value (very
spirit) of Catholic social principles, which is a means to aid us to reach a morally just response to the
needs in society. Looking back at our reference point, Jesus as well as to have a well-grounded
understanding of the Catholic social principles, it is the hope that this will (Part 2) inspire you to commit
to a better society in the form of advocacy.
This part 1 of the course will be divided into three sub-parts, where the seven principles/themes
will be explained and expounded through a canvass of mediums. In Part1.a, the fundamental and
foundational social principle will be its focus – Life and Dignity of the Human Person, while the focal
point in Part1.b, are: (b.1) Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers, (b.2) Option for the Poor and
Vulnerable, and (b.3) Care for God’s Creation. In Part 2, we will explain the “call” or invitation to us,
namely: (2.1) Call to Family, Community and Participation, (2.2) Rights and Responsibility, and (2.3)
Solidarity.

For now, we begin and focus our attention to the social principle of Life and the Dignity of the Human
Person. There is no contention in the belief that above all life matters and is above all other hierarchy of
values. Even in the gospels, when Jesus was confronted by the Jewish authorities who questioned his
judgement and actions on Shabbat day, Jesus openly prioritised healing over adherence to the “law.” 3
Jesus has a different understanding of the Shabbat, which can be said to be just and compassionate. The
way he looks at the law is not about strict compliance without using the head or the heart, nor is it
simply a compliance out of fear. Jesus went beyond this superficial understanding of the law, he looked
at the very spirit or the value/principle of the law. In this case, for Jesus, Shabbat is indeed rest. In
addition, for him Shabbat is meant to give rest or free the body that is enslaved with pain, thus he heals
during this holy day. A person who aches (bodily or spirit) cannot fully and properly4 honour or even
bless the Divine. Further, during the entire life of Jesus, he showed how he values life by making himself
available to Others, be they a Jew or from another ethnicity. He was not a racist, 5 (in the latter part of
his life) but gave credence and have learned much through his encounters. In short, Jesus learned how
to listen and afford respect to Others who may be different. Further, his travels and encounters with
people gave him a solid grasp of reality and his mission that perhaps fueled his commitment, even to the
point of being a victim of social injustice (the crucifixion). 6 In our Christian faith tradition, we believe
that Jesus was a survivor of injustice through the resurrection. The resurrection is a “statement” that
injustice will never prevail before God’s divine justice, that death (not only physical) does have the upper
hand, but the wellness and fullness of life is the ultimate will of God to all of creation. Therefore, the
response of God to the shameful death of Jesus, who committed his life to bring justice in his society

3 The law in the 3rd Commandment that roughly states, “Remember to keep the Shabbat day holy,” was interpreted as
“nonworking day.” Hence, any actions is seen as a violation of the commandment, according to the Jewish guardian of
traditions – Pharisees and Scribes.
4 Here we can refer to the main task of the Jews in praising or blessing God through the utterance of the Jewish prayer – Shema,

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul
and with all your might.” (Deut. 6.4-5)
5 You might contest that there was a part in Jesus’ life that he seems to insult a woman. Perhaps he did, but he somehow

listened. We have to remember that Jesus was also human, and subject to progress and human processes – to maturity. His
encounter with the woman could be read as a turning point for being open to others who seem to be different from his
ethnicity or belief. His encounters are opportunity to engage, listen and grow to become a better person and more so be truly
one with his Abba.
6 In our Christian faith, we believe that Jesus was a survivor of injustice through the resurrection. The resurrection is a

“statement” that injustice will never prevail before God’s divine justice, that death (not only physical) does have the upper
hand, but (wellness and fullness of) life is the ultimate will of God to all of creation.
was a resurrection, - to regain the dignity stripped from him. Thus, through Jesus’ resurrection, God
showed the value life and dignity of the human person, which all of us must do likewise.

What is stated above is the principle given in an ideal world, yet reality seems to be far from this. Hence,
to further see how life and human dignity is violated (which I know you are aware of, but still, I invite
you to look at other global incidents) and even bend this principle for one’s benefit. To deepen your
understanding of the principle of Life and the Dignity of the Human Person, I would like you to watch
certain short documentaries and read the articles indicated in the link below:

Life and Dignity of the Human Person (just watch the video about this principle):
https://www.crs.org/resource-center/CST-101

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqSkkeUeV0I&feature=share
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU8b0E-SPtw&feature=share

Human Dignity
CRISPR
In Boxes

Pandemic and PWDs

Disabled children in Kazakhstan

Plight of Rohingyas
Uyghurs in China

Black Lives Matter (BLM)

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/black-lives-matter-trap-performative-activism-
200619101229767.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/black-lives-matter-lessons-
palestine200621152130884.html
Ashton on BLM

Systemic Racism
Implicit Bias

Unsheltered in US
Life’s simple lesson from a 4-yr old boy
Points to Ponder
In addition, I would like you to answer the following questions:

• What were the occasions in your life that you ensured that a person’s dignity is respected?
• How does persons with disabilities during this pandemic seems to feel being devalued? Could
you recall the times you also devalued PWDs? Have you spoken on their behalf?
• The experiences of the Rohingya people and Uyghurs are explicit trampling of human life and
dignity. What were your thoughts or emotions upon seeing these incidents against minorities?

• Still in relation to the plight of

the Rohingyas, on June 26, 2020 the
ASEAN leaders met via a virtual table
(hosted by Viet Nam. The was the
concern on the increasing incidents in
the West Philippine Sea during the
pandemic and calls participating
nations to abide the code of conduct
with respect to certain claims to the
said territory.
However, there was no mention
about the plight of the Rohingyas and
the maltreatment of Myanmar against
the said people, neither any call for a resolution regarding the Rakhine state. How can the social
principle in this unit critique the silence of the ASEAN neighbors and leaders to the Rohingyas
present struggles? Still with Myanmar, it is bewildering that the international community is very
silent about the ongoing conflict between the civilians and the military, yet they are vocal in
aiding Afghanistan. Why could there be disproportionate attention given to these two nations
by the international community?
• The violent encounter of US police towards George Floyd has sparked the call for Black Lives
Matter. Discrimination does not only happen to black people, but also towards the minorities.
There is the white supremacy that is going on for centuries, but it has come to be more
apparent because of the Floyd tragic incident. Give your thoughts and insights about systemic
discrimination, inequality, and other forms of “isms” in our society today. (You will need to
make independent research to give a sound view about this matter)
• On matters of science and technology, humans have gone a long way, and still on the way to
furthering this advancement. In what ways does the current technology – CRISPR violates (or
devalue) and at the same time promote human life?
• After watching the videos and reading the article provided above, together with your responses,
(1) how to address the conflict between the Catholic social principle of Life and the Dignity of
the Human Person and the negative reality in our society, (2) what is the impact of the materials
provided to your awareness and understanding about the said principle, and (3) with all
honesty, have the materials caused any inner steer to desire social change? What have you
realized in the process?