option for the poor and

vulnerable
no matter how concerned we are, looking at poverty from outside a burning building is
not to opt for the poor; we must go inside as if our mother and sister are there
Christ is there inside, hungry and suffering
preference for
the poor and vulnerable
“corruption is paid by the poor” - Pope Francis
the poor are the following:
individuals and families whose income falls below the poverty threshold
individuals and families who cannot afford and provide their minimum basic needs
physically challenged (disabled and impaired)
indigeneous peoples (IPs) marginalized groups
children and youth (the socially excluded)
the elderly
powerless victims of unjust oppression
anawim
widows, orphans, and strangers
refugees, migrants, immigrants
anawim in the scriptures
caring for the poor is a challenge becuase it is understood that “not caring for the
poor was infidelity to God”
the anawim should seen as able to meet their basic needs and be included in the
community and its decision-making

response to poverty
Jesus said, “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me”
indentifying himself with the poor
our attitude should be to concentrate on the actual helping ! international day for the
eradication of poverty - october 17

of the poor, not the eradication of poverty church’s response

Jesus entrusted the poor to us; they are our responsibility

preferential option for the poor

the church proclaims this since they themselves want to be the church of the poor
it is the choice to commit oneself to opposing injustice, exploitation, oppression, and
marginalization experienced by the disadvantaged members of our communities
the church teaches that we must give more attention to the poor
love for the poor does not mean despising the rich; the commitment is preferential
not exclusive
how to practice preferential
option for the poor
1. see things through the eyes of the poor
things will look different once we try to step out of our usual references
2. work with the poor
we can only understand their stuggle by seeing how they live and talking with them
we can help them realize that they have the power to do something about their state through this
3. work for the poor
addressed primarily to the more fortunate and powerful members of society
requires the use of talents and resources to create projects/activities/programs to help the poor
4. trust in God’s providence situation makes it is easier for them to depend on God
the materially poor can be considered naturally blessed
frees the rich and poor from inordinate attachments to material possessions
enables them to be more open to the gifts of the holy spirit
they experience some thing of the kingdom of God; a life of justice, love, peace, and dignity

! in Islam, supporting social services to Zakat, meaning to purify

assist the needy falls within the third pillar
they believe that giving to the lest fortunate purifies their own wealth, increases its
value, and helps them remember that everything they have is a gift from God

justice and peace

1. ordinance of reason
2. promulgated and communicated
4 things to take note of
3. by competent authority
4. for the common good

justice types of justice

the constant and firm will to
give people their due
empowers everyone to respect
everyone’s rights
sets the fundamental criterion
for harmonious human
relationships and social order
commutative (1)
focuses on the obligation of one person to another
establishes by reason of agreements, transactions,
and/or contracts due to specific relationships
distributive (2)
governs the relationship between society and its
members through its government
demands society to give to the individual members
what is rightfully theirs
contributive/legal (3) social (4)
the church encourages everyone to participate in has to do with the relationship
the economic, political, and cultural life of society between society and its members
it is the duty of all citizens to contribute to the includes institutions, systems,

!
betterment of their country along side with the principle
of subsidiarity
and structures of society

! red wednesday - november 29 2023

peace like a dove and freedom
aimed at highlighting the persecution
and injustice suffered by christians

an abstract concept; must be presented by an image to be made concrete

the fullness of life, respect for rights, and development of humans
refers to the quality of life in the church and bible not just the abscence of war
freedom of all individuals to live in harmonious relationships with one another
the kind of life in which everyone participates in God’s plan to offer everyone the
fruit of a good life - joy, prosperity, a sense of fulfillment, the absence of fear, etc.

law - objective norms that guide people on how to treat one another

natural law CIVIL law

the universal norm that governs us in
preserving our dignity and achieving peace
in our community
universal, eternal, and objective laws that
God has written into our very nature
rules of conduct formulated by human
reason
promulgated by competent authority to
direct all members of society toward the
common good

limitations of the law

limitation of words
words aren’t enough to complete translate/express the human values enshrined in the
moral norms of natural law and so of human rights

unjust laws
human-made laws, being the product of human minds, don’t necessarily correspond to,
nor aptly reflect the natural law
implementation of the law
the mere formulation and declaration of laws don’t ensure their acceptance and
implementation
life of the law depends on human beings; no law can implement itself
christian values
defined as realities “prized by a person”
may be objects principles, lifestyles, or relationships that we regard as desirable and
that we constantly prefer even if it demands a sacrifice
good morals lead to good habits (good habits = virtues)
wokring for peace demands laws and the moral attitude of people to constantly do
good and develop virtues
elevated by Christ; inspired by the Holy Spirit

solidarity Jesus is the model of solidarity for Christians !

the firm and preserving determination to commit oneself to the good of all and of each
individual because we are responsible for all
bring good news to the poor
proclaim release to the captives
recovery of sight to the blind Jesus’ mission
let the oppressed go free
proclain the year of the Lord’s favor

reconciliation and peace

true peace is made possible through forgiveness and reconciliation
we must forgive our transgressors as God forgives them
to be merciful doesn’t mean we are called to make light of evil/leave injustices untounched
forgiveness is seeing the truth that we are all loved by God and injustice is evil

international human solidarity

day december 20
a day to:
celebrate our unity in diversity
remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements
raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity
encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the SDGs
including poverty eradication
a day of action to encourage new initiatives for poverty eradication
commonly used to refer to
human rights natural human rights
titles or claims we have on other people or society !
international human rights day
- december 10
types of human rights
natural human rights
our rights simple and solely because we are humans
Proceed directly from our dignity and nature as embodied spirits and other basic qualities
not given to us by society
entitlements that society has to respect, protect, and promote

civil rights
given to us by the state due to our citizenship
added rights to enable us to meet our needs and fulfill the duties of our society
must be in accordance with natural rights

social duties
implied in our human rights
we are all equal in basic human dignity therefore we have equal human rights
our duty is to see to it that our rights are given to everyone

human rights documents

documents that are commonly identified as the international bill of human rights:
international bill of human rights - 1948
international convenant of civil and political rights
international covenant of economic, social, and cultural rights 1966
optional protocol
human life and dignity are the starting points of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR) in line with the themes of CST
article 1: all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights
article 3: everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person

Cst and human rights

inviolable universal
can’t be violated since the source is God for all since God created everyone
inalienable
it is inherited since one can’t lose his/her rights
Fr. godofredo alingal s.j.
helped the locals start a credit union and a grains marketing cooperative “a quiet man”
started a community organization program where:
bible reflection meetings with barrio folks were conducted
farmers were organized to defend their rights to their land
mothers were organized to demand better healthcare
vendors were organized so that they could demand a fairer price for their produce
established the Blackboard News Service to defend the people and denounce abuses for
civilian and military
worked for a clean and honest election
first death threat: “stop using the pulpit for politics, your days are numbered”
was killed by 5 masked men, one shot him in the heart with a .45 caliber automatic
died minutes later in the arms of a local physician at the age of 59

types of human rights

the following are basic rights of everyone that must be protected and promoted to ensure
the promotion of their dignity:

personal rights
right to life right to one’s person
most fundamental human right everyone has a right over their own bodies and
if not protected, all other bodily faculties and energies
justifies selfe defence and the right to free
rights are under threat
movement to the inviolability to one’s home which
seves as an extension to one’s self
right to one’s personality
people have the right to develop their own character
challenge: for one to go for the things that can lead them to become the kind of person
that they want to be and what God intends them to be

religious and moral rights

right to education
our right to avail all possible means and opportunities to help us develop
refers to both formal and informal schooling
covers the right and duty of parents to educate their children and provide moral formation
and sound guidance as they can afford it
includes the responsibility of children to make the most of their learning opportunities
right to conscience right to religion
all humans have the right to act in accordance with
their conscience
a person of good conscience knows exactly what is
objectively good and evil and does and defend what
is right and correct what is wrong
as people are bound to seek the truth and
worship the creator, they have the natural
right to God and freely express and develop
that relationship within the teachings and
practices of their chosen religion

social rights
right to honor/respect
honor refers to the credibility and esteem human persons enjoy in society
humans have built-in natural right to at least minimum respect by everyone because of their
intrinsic dignity
right to free expression or freedom of speech
the right to freely express ourselves, what we think is true, both in spoken and written
words, as individuals and/or groups
the right to freely form opinions and gather together to push things that matter to us
right to organize
everyone has the right to form associations by coming together

economic rights
right to livelihood right to property
people gain the means to their essential
needs in life through work
it is the right and duty of every person
to work and earn a living
to own something is undoubtedly the
expression of human dignity
the right to exclusive control over one’s
possessions

vocational rights
right to choose one’s way of life
everyone has the right to choose their own career, vocation, and status in life
requires one to consider 2 things: (1) what can give you a real sense of fulfillment
(2) how you can be of service to the community
right to marriage
the right of every person to seek a partner in life and enter a union with the chosen partner
act should stay within the ground of the laws of the state and dictates of the natural law
does not have to be exercised by all; some remain single for a special vocation in life
morals
we must observe, promote, and defend our human rights
social justice prompts us to look over everyone’s welfare and the good of our country
our duties and responsibilities toward one another
includes respecting and promoting rights
crime and corrections are at the intersection of rights and responsibilities
test for non-crime committers: exercising the responsibility to hold the offender
offenders should have their accountable without violating his/her rights
rights respected as well

work ! “a person’s rightful due is to be treated as an object

of love, not as an object for use” - Pope John Paul II
work or labor: any human exertion of either physical or mental ability
anything that contributes in whatever manner to the sustenance and development of people
not a punishment from god; it brings good to the worker, their family, and the community
man transforms nature adapting to his own needs and achieves fulfillment as a human being
and becomes more of a human being through work
a participation in God’s work of creation
God created the earth and entrusted it to man
man becomes its co-creator by responsibly cultivating the earth’s resources in a
sustainable way and creatively to develop its further potential
promotes human dignity
work enhances man’s intellect and skills
work must help man fully reach his/her potentials
man meets his/her and their families’ needs through work
promotes healthy relationships
work also enhances social communication and shared responsibility
promotes the common good
work gives valuable service to one’s fellowman ! labor day / workers’ day - may 1
work leaves a positive development to the world

dimensions of work
objective subjective
the output or product of work/human labor refers to the workers as “the subjects or
goods produced and services rendered agents of their work”

! sources of the dignity of work are to be sourght primarily

in the subjective dimension, not the objective one
rights of workers
workers are persons; not just instruments for labor
it is everyone’s responsibility to defend these rights and uphold their dignity
1. provision of jobs/employment
suitable employment must be provided for everyone
2. adequate wages and benefits
just wages must be met for the workers to support themselves and their families
3. healthy working environments
the workplace should be safe, comfortable, and not hazardous to the workers
4. work hours
workers should have time to rest to restore energy, provide time to the family,
leisure, social occasions, and worship
5. union and workers’ organizations
workers have the right to form associations often called labor or trade unions

fr. rutilio grande s.j.

known as the apostle of rural evangelization
became parish priest in El Paisnal of the combined area
encompassed 30,000 people in 1972
majority of the peasants could only find work for less than half of the days available
in any 1 year
formed a team whose approach to pastoral work was inspired by liberation theology
the Catholic Church facilitated the rise of liberation theology by speaking of Christian
identity in the modern world at Vatican II
especially in the context of those who are poor in terms of solidarity with the
‘modern world’ and especially those who are poor
developments in consciousness and the optimism of the 1960s led to a belief in the
possibility of real social change
the poor were empowered to work together in finding ways to tranform their lives
by engaging in this process, the poor were to be instruments in spreading God’s
universal saving love at work in history