CATECHESIS ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY world, clergy and laity on the matters of faith and

morals.
CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING: FAITH IN ACTION
 The word “encyclical” shares etymological origins
WHY STUDY THE CATHOLIC SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY? with “encyclopedia” which means general
knowledge
 To intensify awareness of social responsibility as
followers of Christ and as members of the Church FRAMEWORK
 To fulfill the obligation of Justice and charity in
“See, Judge, Act” – a method of movement from
society
observation to action
 To share in the task of realizing the kingdom/reign
of God which is not only liberation from sin but
from all oppressive structures that destroy person’s
dignity as humans created in the image and likeness
of God

QUESTION:

 In the context of common life, how shall Christians

act together with others?
 How shall we live our calling in the world of
economy, culture and politics?
 What are the process through which we can
honestly discern the meaning of our Christian lives
in society?
The “see, judge, act” method of Cardinal Joseph Cardijn
CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING (CST)
which Pope John XXIII incorporated into Catholic social
Human Dignity (the best – kept secret of the church) teaching in 1961.

 Peace WHY ANALYSIS OF SOCIETY IS CRUCIAL TO OUR

 Dignity of work CATHOLIC FAITH
 Care for people who are poor and vulnerable
 When Jesus proclaimed His work at the start of His
 Participation in society
mission, He said that He was anointed “to bring the
 Stewardship of creation
good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to
 Rights and responsibilities
captives, recovery of sight to the blind and let the
 Solidarity
oppressed go free” (Lk 4:18)
 Community and the common good
 Central to the Good News that Jesus brings are the
WHAT IS CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING (CST)? poor, the prisoners, the sick- all the marginalized
and excluded in society.
 Is the officially proclaimed teaching of the Catholic  To know who they are, to see what forces exclude
Church on social, cultural, political and economic them, and to know which action to take toward a
issues more humane and equal world presuppose
 It generally comes in the form of social encyclicals thoughtful social analysis
which were developed in the late 19th century
 It is an evolving body of prophetic thinking that
continues to apply truthful Christian practice in
ever-changing contexts
 Encyclical- Gk. Enkyklios, meaning “circular” or
“general”
 Thus, an encyclical is a circular or letter of the pope
to a group of bishops or to all the bishops of the

Based on Church’s analyses of specific socio-historical
context
Experience: What is happening?
1. What is the lived experience of the people?
2. What is happening to people?
3. Are we listening to the people most directly affected?
4. Can we/do we share their experience? If not, do we
need to undertake exposure/immersion?
JUDGE/ DISCERN
 It provides principles for reflection and criteria for
judgment based on the Gospels and the whole
Christian Tradition
Analysis: Why is it happening?
1. What are the causes of the issue or situation?
(Historical, political, economic, social or cultural)
2. What are the consequences?
3. How are these elements linked?
4. Who are the key actors? (Subjects, agents of
influence, decision makers)
Theological Reflection: What does it mean?
1. Are Gospel values being upheld or denied?
2. How do the Scriptures speak to this issue or
situation?
3. How do the principles of Catholic Social Teaching
speak to this issue or situation?
4. What does Church teaching have to say about it?
5. Can the experience of the Christian community
through time help us to discern this situation or issue?
ACT
 Through it the Church hopes to guide Catholic
Christians towards an informed response to the
complex challenges of socio-political and economic
fields
Response: How do we respond?
1. Direct service of the poor or marginalized?
2. Education or raising awareness?
3. Advocacy & transformation of causes/mobilization?
4. Formation of faith?
WHO DEVELOPED THE 1ST SOCIAL ENCYCLICAL?
Pope Leo XIII issued the first modern social encyclical,
Rerum Novarum, in 1891
THE CST OFFERS GUIDANCE IN OUR MORAL
DISCERNMENT
1. The CST presents a clear vision of life coming from
the resources of its own tradition.
2. It has dealt with contemporary questions in our
society dialoguing with the sciences.
3. It is the product of the Church’s reflection on the
changing times and context of society in the world.
It is characterized by continuity and renewal.
4. It is HUMAN KNOWLEDGE illumined by FAITH
5. It is a product of a long historical process that has
been influenced by different people’s moral
imagination through on-going process of dialogue.
6. The CST does not refer only to the magisterial
teachings from the Vatican but it includes the
ongoing discernment of Christian Communities
7. The CST shows a developing sensitivity and option
for the poor and marginalized
8. The CST is the retrieval of the Church’s foundational
commitment to the poor and oppressed
CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING (CST) other terms
1. Social Doctrine
2. Catholic Social Tradition
3. Catholic Social Thought
The great biblical tradition enjoins on all peoples the
duty to hear the voice of the poor. It bids us to break
the bonds of injustice and oppression which gives rise to
glaring, and indeed, scandalous social inequalities.
Reforming the social structures which perpetuate
poverty and the exclusion of the poor first requires a
conversion of mind and heart.
-Pope Francis (16 Jan 2015)
DIFFERENT RESPONSES OF THE CHURCH
1. Church against the world: flight from the world
method
 Some church people see the world as a place of
sinners
 Thus, if you want to be holy, get out of the world
o FUGA MUNDI – Latin, “to escape from the
world”
 Leave this matter to “worldly” people because real
Christians should only focus on heavenly things
 Regarding the problems of poverty and
unemployment, our main response should be
prayers to God who will save us from all our
difficulties
 The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is
for good people to do nothing.
2. Church of the world: Medieval syncresis model
 This church is worldly in all it senses
 It is immersed in the values of the world, especially
involving the interests of the rich and the powerful
 The pope conspires with the kings and queen
 He crowns them and in return, the monarchs
support the needs of the church
 The president, lawmakers and governors join forces
with bishops, priest and religious
 The church and state form one ruling body while
the ordinary people follow.
3. Church in the world: prophetic model
 This is the church that is actively involved and
immersed among the poor ready to face together
with them the issues of individual lives and the
wider society
 Being prophetic church, it announces what is good
and denounces what is evil
 This church participates in various ways to protect
the rights of the poor and struggles with them to
end marginalization and exclusion
 Its prophetic response is founded on the life of
Jesus whose mission was to give hope and
liberation to the poor, the oppressed and the
excluded
 The imitation of the life of Jesus allows each one to
help build the kingdom of God in our midst
o When Jesus came, he had a message: “the
kingdom of God is at hand”. This was his
mission
MATTHEW 25:31-40
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the
angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, 32
and all the nations[a] will be assembled before him. And
he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the
sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the
king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are
blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was
hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you
gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, 36
naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in
prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous[b] will
answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry
and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 When
did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked
and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison,
and visit you?’ 40 And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these
least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Grp 1: Mt. 23:34-39; Mk. 12:1-6
Grp 2: Lk. 4:18-20; Mt. 25:7-12
Grp 3: Lk. 10: 33-37; Lk. 12:16-21
Grp 4: Lk. 14:21-24; Lk. 16:22-27
Grp 5: Lk. 15:8-10; Mt. 25:24-30
Grp 6: Mk. 4: 30-32; Mt. 24:48-51
Grp 7: Mk. 4: 26-29; Mt. 18: 28-34
Grp 8: Lk. 13: 20-21; Lk. 15: 25-30
Grp 9: Mt. 13:45-46; Mt. 23: 13-15

MEANING OF KINGDOM
 The term “Kingdom of God” must be important
because it appears almost a hundred times in the
Gospels
 “God‟s reign over creation” means a transformed
world which also reflects and expresses the
characteristics and nature of God: freedom and joy,
equality and justice, fullness of life and human well-
being
 Jesus did not only preached about the Kingdom but
concretely responded to the people
 – This means that God’s goodness and love reign
over all spheres of human existence
Luke 4:16-21
16 He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and
went according to his custom[a] into the synagogue on
the Sabbath day. He stood up to read
17 and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He
unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was
written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has
anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has
sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of
sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
19 and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”
20 Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the
attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the
synagogue looked intently at him. 21 He said to them,
“Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your
hearing.”
MEANING OF THE KINGDOM (SPIRITUAL & BODILY,
PERSONAL & SOCIAL-POLITICAL)
 Some people tend to think that God deals in
spiritual terms alone….SALVATION
 But in the life of Jesus, He did not only save souls
but the TOTAL PERSON
 God does not want people to suffer but to
experience total human well-being: mind, body and
spirit ---INTEGRAL SALVATION
 To preach the good news of God’s salvation is to do
---INTEGRAL EVANGELIZATION
 SVP--- “You don’t preach the Gospel to an empty
stomach.”
 The KOG is not only personal– between “me and
God” but also socio-political: something that is seen
in our social relationships and economic-political
structures
 To transform the world around us is also to preach
the Good News.
 “ 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” -(Justice in the World, JW, 6)
MEANING OF THE KINGDOM (PRESENT AND FUTURE)
 Jesus said, “ In fact, the Kingdom is among you”
(Lk.17:21)
 As it is in the parables, the Kingdom is being
gradually established in our midst as we begin to
follow the way of Jesus
 But with poverty and violence, we also know that
the Kingdom is not yet here
 We await for it in God’s time
 Thus, the Kingdom of God is already but not yet
 It is already here, so we rejoice and celebrate
 It is not yet here, so we continue to struggle and
pray for the coming of God’s Kingdom
CST AND GOD’S KINGDOM
 The Church is not itself the Kingdom with many
concerns and problems…it can never be an
experience of the Kingdom in its fullness…
 It fails in comparison to the vision of Jesus
 But as a sacrament, the Church points to where the
seeds & hopes of the Kingdom are found
 Thus CST is one such pointer
 Through this prophetic social tradition, the Church
leads us to claim and possess the Kingdom values:
solidarity & preferential option for the poor & the
excluded (laborers, women, persons with
disabilities, etc.), peace building, principled political
engagement, stewardship of creation
DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
 At the heart of the Church is the human person
 The human person is created in the “image and
likeness” of God
 (S)He needs to be respected regardless of class,
gender, race, color, ethnicity, economic status, age,
religion or education
 The human person is so important to God that He
became human in Jesus and was present through
the Holy Spirit
 God came to redeem the human being
 Thus, a just society can only become a reality “when
it is based on the respect of the transcendent
dignity of the human person”
RIGHT TO PRIVATE PROPERTY AND COMMON GOD
 “Private property is necessary if we want to have a
free and democratic social order”
 This is part of human freedom
 The principle of the common good demands that
property be not only owned by a few but should
benefit all.
 Since we live as part of society, all of us have the
duty to contribute to its welfare and the right to
benefit from all its goods
 The right to private property is subordinate to the
right of common use, to the fact that goods are
meant for everyone”- Pope John Paul II
RIGHT TO EQUAL PARTICIPATION AND SUBSIDIARITY
 Essential to human dignity is the recognition of the
right and duty to equally participate in all areas of
our social life.
 Each person possesses knowledge and capabilities
that can contribute to the enhancement of the
common good.
 It is a human right & responsibility of each person to
participate in decision-making and action in all areas
of politics, economy, culture and religion in the
pursuit of common good
 What we can be solved in the lower levels should
never be taken over by higher bodies because
human & social issues are best handled by those
who are affected by them
SOLIDARITY & PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR THE POOR
 Solidarity is founded on the social nature of human
beings, the equal dignity of persons, & the
aspirations toward unity among peoples
 It is “not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow
distress at the misfortunes of many people… but a
firm & persevering determination to commit oneself
to the common good…because we are all
responsible for all
 “Preferential option for the poor” is the most
concrete expression of the spirit of solidarity
 The life of Jesus revolved around the poor, the
Church must do the same
 He who has the goods of this world and sees his
brother in need and closes his heart to him, how
does the love of God abide in him? (1 Jn 3:17)
PROCESSES & GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR ACTIONS
 Each Christian community is located within diverse
situation & complex circumstances, therefore CST
does not endorse a single line of action
 What it offers is a process of analysis,
reflection/discernment, and course of action.
 Respecting the people‟s process
 Liberating Education
 Empowerment of leaders
 Mobilization & Collective Actions
 Networking & Collaboration
 Prayer & Celebration
RESPECTING THE PEOPLE’S PROCESS
 The Church respects the pace & processes of
individual Christian communities in our different
contexts
 The people themselves live out & develop the CST
from the ground.
 It does not remain as mere statements from popes
& bishops
LIBERATING EDUCATION
 The people on the ground possess deep & practical
knowledge born out of life experiences
 Organizations/ programs that provide critical skill
trainings & capacity development
EMPOWERMENT OF LEADERS
 Leaders need to decide to move from selfish
motives to service commitment
 They may need a process of capability building
training activities to equip themselves with skills to
guide the community towards authentic
development
MOBILIZATION & COLLECTIVE ACTIONS
 Mobilization refers to the manifested action to
obtain a community objective (Legal, extra-legal,
illegal methods)
 The use of violence to achieve justice only leads to
more violence and injustice
NETWORKING & COLLABORATION
 Networking is a practical prerequisite in the
Christian call to promote the common good.
 Collaboration with other people, groups,
organizations is necessary to advance a stronger
and more effective call towards social
transformation
PRAYER & CELEBRATION
 Communal prayer & celebration with the people
help to strengthen the bond within the community
and with God.
 Meaningful, creative & liberating liturgies &
communal worship are powerful means that
transform human hearts & communities
GROUP 1
Matthew 23:34-39
34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and
teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others
you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town
to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous
blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of
righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of
Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and
the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this
generation.
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and
stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to
gather your children together, as a hen gathers her
chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38
Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you,
you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord.’[a]”
Mark 12:1-6
The Parable of the Tenants
1 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A
man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a
pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he
rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to
another place.
2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to
collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.
3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away
empty-handed.
4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this
man on the head and treated him shamefully.
5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent
many others; some of them they beat, others they
killed.
6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He
sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
GROUP 2
Luke 4:18-20
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has
anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed
free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”[a]
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the
attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the
synagogue were fastened on him.
Matthew 25:7-12 NIV
“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your
oil; our lamps are going out.’ “ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there
may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to
those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But
while they were on their way to buy the oil, the
bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in
with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was
shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they
said, ‘open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell
you, I don’t know you.’
GROUP 3
Luke 10:33-37
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the
man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on
oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey,
brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next
day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the
innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return,
I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may
have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor
to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had
mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Luke 12:16-21
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a
certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He
thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to
store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down
my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store
my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have
plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy;
eat, drink and be merry.”’
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels
carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died
and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment,
he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus
by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham,
have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his
finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in
agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your
lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus
received bad things, but now he is comforted here and
you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us
and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that
those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can
anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus
to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn
them, so that they will not also come to this place of
torment.’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your
life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what
you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things

for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

GROUP 4

Luke 14:21-24

21 “The servant came back and reported this to his

master. Then the owner of the house became angry and
ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and
alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled,
the blind and the lame.’

22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been

done, but there is still room.’

23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the

roads and country lanes and compel them to come in,
so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of
those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

Lk. 16:22-27