K 32 `Wika ni Pope Francis, “realities are greater than ideas” (EG 231).

Sa pagteteolohiya, hinihingi
na hindi ito makulong sa esoterikong pagtalakay sa mga nilalaman ng pananampalataya kundi
mapagnilayan ang mga kongkretong karansan ng ating realidad bilang mga indibidwal at lipunan na
umiiral sa mundo. Sa kabila ng pagiging limitado ng ating mga pananaw, tinutulak tayo na pasukin at
magbabad (immersion) sa realidad ng ating lipunan, lalo na ang realidad ng kahirapan; mula rito ay
makilatis natin ang presensya ng Walang Hanggan, makita ang ating kaugnayan rito at makatugon
nang naayon sa anumang nabatid nating pagtawag sa atin. Isang metodo na naglalapat ng ganitong
pananaw ang Sirkulong Pastoral na isang kilos-karanasan na may mga yugtong magkaka-ugnay at
walang tigil nakikipagtalaban sa isa’t isa.

I. Ang halaga ng pagdanas sa kongkretong karanasan sa ating realidad

a. Hindi enough ang pag-aaral lamang at pagsusuri
b. Nag propose ng mas nilalaman ang realidad ng mga mahihirap nang inaral ang
sitwasyon ng latin America
c. Bilang indibidwal at lipunan na umiiral sa mundo
i. Solidarity nalang yan sa mga naapektuhan ng kahirapan. Lahat tayo ginawa
sa imahe ng Diyos, dapat nating marecognize iyon
II. Pagbabad sa reality
a. Makakita natin ang presence ng Diyos – ng Walang Hanggan
b. Lagi tayong may ugnayan sa anumang realidad
i. Ano ba ang papel natin ditto?
III. Pastoral Cycle
a. Ginagamit ito dahil isa ito sa mga paraan na pinakamahusay sa pagkilatis sa mga
totoong problema ng lipunan
b. Patuloy na proseso ng pakikipagtalaban, at pagninilay, sa mundo at sa Banal na Salita
na magreresulta sa mga aksyon
i. Karanasan
ii. Pagsusuri
iii. Pagninilay
iv. Gawa
Pope Francis said, "realities are greater than ideas" (EG 231). In theology, it is required that it not be
confined to the esoteric discussion of the contents of the faith but to contemplate the concreteness of
our reality as an individual and as a member of a society that exists in the world. Despite our limited
perspectives, we are forced to enter into the reality of our society — especially the reality of poverty;
From here we can look at the presence of the Eternal, see our relevance here and respond accordingly
to whatever it calls us to do. One method that applies this perspective is Pastoral Cycle that is an
action-experience with interconnected stages and is constantly entangled with one another.

● Since our perspective will only always be limited, it is important to take some measures to
ensure that we tackle each situation in a such way that considers those who are directly
affected by it.
● It is not enough that we read about the problems of society through social media or the news;
it is not enough that we cry and problematize situations that we see on television. We have to
immerse ourselves such that it will enable us to stand in solidarity with those affected by the
situation.
 ● Effective movement around the pastoral circle must be grounded in one’s own experience
rather than books or experience of others.
● The pastoral cycle is one of the tools that achieves these requirements, it helps us recognize
the situation of the poor. It helps us stand in solidarity with them as we experience their
realities through immersion.
○ It is a method of analysis and questioning that delves deeper than the problems itself;
it aims to discern why the problem itself exists, what causes them, and what obstacles
need to be overcome. It tackles the ultimate sources of the problem, it attempts to
recognize what institutions propagates the problem, which persons have a
direct/indirect link to it. It is a continuous process of asking and questioning of
circumstance
○ The pastoral cycle is a continuous process of engagement with, and reflection upon,
the World and the Word of God, so that courses of action may be discerned — and
taken — to make things different
The Cycle:
Experience -> Analysis -> Reflection -> Action
Immersion -> Analysis -> Reflection -> Response
● Insertion, social analysis, theological reflection, and pastoral planning
○ All four circulate around xperience and are concerned for justice
Experience/Immersion (Karanasan)
● We have to ask, what is happening here?
○ The option for the poor places a priority on the experiences, views, needs, feelings,
and stance of the poor and most vulnerable in a community
■ Poor here refers to victims of material poverty
■ By preferring the poor, we accept the will of God in our lives. To have a
preferential option for the poor means that we have solidarity with the poor
and rejection of poverty as something contrary to the will of God
Analysis (Pagsusuri)
● Why are things the way they are? Who/what is directly/indirectly linked to these situations?
Who controls them
● This is the part where we try and delve deeper into the problem; we do not simply stop at
identifying which is the glaring issue in a community. We continue and ask why this issue
existed and persisted to exist, and what are the reasons for that reason itself — until we arrive
at a point where we can say that by destroying this link to we alleviate some of the problems
○ Uunahin natin ang mga obvious o kaya ang mga specific na mga problema na
nakikita agad natin, sunod na ang mga hindi nakikita o ang mga kasangkot dito
● Social analysis
○ We have to try and obtain a more complete picture of the situation by exploring its
historical and structural relationships
○ Externalization -> objectivation -> internalization
○ Hindi neutral ang mga istruktura. Ipinapakita nito ang mga iba’t ibang pagpapahalaga
ng mga taong nagtayo nito.
■ Objective Dimension
● Behavior patterns that take on external structural expressions
■ Subjective Dimension
 ● Values, consciousness and ideologies operative in any given social
situation
○ Kailangan parin nating tandaan na pati ang ating pagsusuri sa sitwasyon ay subjective
parin at nanggagaling parin sa perspektibo natin
● No problem is individual; every problem that exists is in some way propagated by something
else, or has its roots in something else. And those has its roots in some places else as well

Theological Reflection (Pagninilay)

● We ask, “Ano ang sinasabi ng ating pananampalataya, ng turo ng simbahan, at ng banal na
kasulatan tungkol sa isyung ito
● Putting faith into action, in participating in building God’s Kingdom. Dito natin aalamin kung
ano ba ang sinasabi ng Katolikong simbahan tungkol sa particular na issue na ito.
● Reflection should call forth not just an intellectual assent to faith, but a commitment to
incorporate it within one’s life
○ Ang Salita ng Diyos ay nagbibigay ng mga bagong paraan sa pagtatanong at
pagtugon sa pagtanong ng mga bagong tanong, pagbigay ng mga bagong kabatiran, at
ang pagbubukas sa mga tao ng mas maraming opportunity
● Pagnilayan natin ang banal na kasulatan gamit ang mata ng mga mahihirap at ng mga
natutukso. God exists in all ways and in everything.
○ Spirituality —> preferential option for the poor
■ Kasi nga sila’y natukso at nadamay ng mga mararahas na institusyon na hindi
naman nilang piniling maging kasapi
● Pagkatapos nating suriin ang nangyayari sa isang isyu, at pagkapos nating sabihin na
mali/masama ang nangyayari, gagmaitin natin ang turo ng simbahan at ang ating
pananampalataya upang masabi kung bakit hindi dapit ganito ang nangyayari
● How have the values you identified been reflected in the Bible?
● Has the church been faced by the same issue before? How did they respond? What principles
are set forth in her social teachings?
● The Christian community speaks not just through what it says, but by how it embodies it's
words in action. How do Christians tackle it in the short, and long run? Bakit nating
sinusubukang itama o alisin ang problemang ito?

Action (Gawa)
● How should we respond?
● Two principles of the church’s social teaching orient the threefold response of planning,
action, and evaluation
○ Subsidiarity
○ Stewardship
● Sa pag iimmerse sa mga bagong experience at sa pagkuha ng mga bagong pananaw, hindi
maiiwasan na mag-iiba ang ating pamumuhay. New experiences and ways of thinking
naturally lead to new ways of living and acting. It is these new ways of living and acting that
action is all about
● Action means helping people survive their present crisis by addressing the root causes of the
problems, by identifying which structures need to be tackled, and what is our part in all of this
 ○ We are not messiahs, we are not saviors. We have to find how we relate to a situation
and we have to discern what we can change in order to lessen our impact or how we
can help those who are affected given our present situation
■ Maybe we can choose to do more, and we can always do more.
● Actions, and the services we do for that, should be aimed at removing the causes of the
problems that we are addressing
○ Legislative advocacy, community organizing, and working with organizations
○ Example: Giving food at a soup kitchen while also helping out with organizations that
look to empower the homeless by creating housing

This whole process is spiral because action on a particular problem gives us a new experience —
immersion — which in turn requires further analysis, reflection, and action — each time building on
and extending from the previous insights and experiences. It is cyclical
Thesis Statement 2: Karanasan ng Kahirapan
2. Sa pagpasok sa realidad ng ating mundo ngayon, makikita natin ang ating mga kapwa taong
nakikipagbunô sa di-makatao at nakamamatay na kahirapan at pagsasantabi na bunga ng kalayaan at
pagpapasya ng tao sa pamamagitan ng mga strukturang lumalabag sa dangal ng tao at sangnilikha.
Ngunit para sa isang Kristyano, ang realidad na ito ay tinutuligsa at taliwas sa realidad ng isang Diyos
na mahabagin, mapagkalinga, manlilikha at mapagpalaya na hindi niloloob na magdusa ang kanyang
mga nilikha. Kaya naman bilang tugon sa kahirapan, kahirapan rin ang tugon ng isang Kristyanong
sumusunod kay Hesus na “naging dukha upang wala nang maging dukha.”
2. Entering the reality of our world today, we see our fellow fighters in an inhuman and lethal poverty
and disparaging consequences of human freedom and discretion through the structures that violate
human dignity and creation. But for a Christian, this reality is denounced and contrary to the reality of
a God who is compassionate, loving, creator and liberated who does not want to suffer his creations.
Thus, in response to poverty, a Christian should be poor in a sense that Jesus became "poor so as not
to be poor.

I. Bunga ng kalayaan at pagpapasya ng tao

a. Kasalanan ng mundo ay galing sa kalayaan na ibinigay satin ng Diyos
b. Ang patuloy na pagpili sa kasalanan ang sanhi ng kahirapan ng mundo
i. Dito nabuo ang mga makasalanan na istruktura
ii. Natural causes
1. Responsibilidad parin natin na siguraduhin na walang sobrang
vulnerable dito, o tignan kung bakit pa vulnerable ang ibang tao ditto
II. Ang tao bilang gawa sa imahe ng Diyos
a. Dangal ng tao
i. Ang kahirapan ay hindi sang-ayon sa pagkadangal ng tao na ayon sa Dangal
ng Diyos
b. Solidarity with the poor
i. we stand in solidarity with the poor kasi tao rin sila who deserves respect
1. this does not mean pity or crying for the poor. It is the rejection of the
state of the poor
a. since it is against the dangal of God
ii. Preferential option
1. They look what they should have – they deserve this as well kasi nga
they are created from the image of God
III. Mabuhay ng mahirap
a. Spiritual poverty
i. Wag ma-attach sa mga bagay-bagay lamang
1. Leave your treasures in Earth for they matter not in heaven (Jesus)

 Christian faith holds that every person is created in the image and likeness of God. Every
human being possesses a sacredness and dignity that requires respect and social support.
o All should have access to the social participation and political voice that is needed to
live in dignity. The bible also tells us that God’s love reaches out to the very poor in a
special way
 Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the
liberation and promotion of the poor, and for enabling them to be fully a part of society
 God did not create humans as perfect, but He gave us free choice so that we will be able to
love. To love is a choice, it is something we choose to do. Without this freedom that God
gave, we will not learn how to love
o Ngunit, ditto rin nanggagaling ang kasalanan ng mundo – sa freedom. Hindi nilikha
ng Diyos ang mundo bilang makasalanan kung hindi nagging makasalanan ang
mundo dahil sa tao. Patuloy na piniling magkasala ng tao kaya’t napuno na ng
kahirapan ang mundo
 Hindi nilikha ng Diyos ang tao para maging mahirap. Hindi ginusto ng Diyos
na ang iilang pamilya ay walang makain ng araw-araw.  ito’y gawa ng tao
 Hindi natin rin pwede sisihin ang pangyayaring natural katulad ng
storms o earthquakes. Dahil tatanungin din natin – kapag tama ang
context – bakit sobrang vulnerable nila ditto. Mayroon bang mga
taong may kayang gawin para i-prevent ito?
 We stand in solidarity with the poor because we are created in the image and likeness of God.
o We in this sense is no ONE individual. It is the entirety of the human race.
 Ng nilikha ng Diyos ang tao at binigyan ito ng kapangyarihan sa buong lupa
at sa bawat nabubuhay na nilalang di-tao, ang sinasabihan niya ay ang
sangkatauhan, hindi lamang sina Adam o Eve.
 Sinasabihan niya ay ang Man and woman
o To stand in solidarity with the poor is to understand their situation and immerse
ourselves in it, and analyze and reflect then put forward a plan that could help them/
Through the pastoral cycle, we are able to achieve this.
o Solidarity does not mean pity for the poor. It does not mean crying for the poor. It
means rejecting the situation that the poor is in
 BY THIS REJECTION, as Christians we have to understand our role in
preventing it from perpetuating
o Preferential option for the poor
 The poor are preferred because they lack what they should have – what we
have
 They do not have the dignity that we live, and that they also must
have as humans themselves
 The Church does not call for the non-poor to become poor, but rather to live poorly. It calls
for us to not live excessively, to live without being attached to the things that matter to us
most
o This is difficult because the society that we live in has propagated structures that
value these tendencies so much
o
Ganap na Pagpapahayag ng Mabuting Balita
3. Sa pagpapatuloy ng Simbahan sa misyon ni Hesus, ang misyon ng Simbahan ay ang “ganap na
pagpapahayag ng Mabuting Balita” (Integral Evangelization). Ito ay tumatawag at humahamon sa
mga mananampalataya na linangin ang isang espiritwalidad na tumutugon sa biyaya ng Diyos na
kaligtasan sa pamamagitan ng pagtataya sa ‘gawain para sa katarungan at pagsulong sa
pagpapanibago ng mundo’ (Justice in the World #6). Ito’y nakapaloob at buháy sa isa sa
mahahalagang yaman ng Simbahan, ang mga Panlipunang Turo.
As the Church continues in the mission of Jesus, the mission of the Church is "the perfect
proclamation of the Gospel" (Integral Evangelization). It calls and challenges believers to cultivate a
spirituality that responds to the grace of God's salvation by evaluating 'justice for the work and
advancement of the world' (Justice in the World # 6). It is embedded and alive in one of the most
valuable treasures of the Church, the Catholic Social Teachings.

I. Simabahan as a continuation of the mission of Jesus

a. Note the sermon on the mount as the first ever mass
i. Kapag titignan ang Beatitudes, makikita ang pundasyon ng mga turo ng
simbahan
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
2. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted
3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth
4. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
shall be comforted
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy
6. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God
8. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for
theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
b. Temporal liberation + evanglization (2nd pastoral council)
i. Ang paglabas sa ating sariling realidad, upang unawaain ang realidad ng iba
at ilapat ang message ng salvation
c. Lumen Gentium
i. Ang gawa ni Hesus sa redemption in poverty and persecution
d. May hamon sa mga Kristyano na mabuhay sa paraan na nabuhay si Hesus
II. Spirituality
a. Spiritual poverty
i. Ang maiiging pagtanggap sa salita ng Diyos. Ang pagsasawalang hawak sa
lahat ng bagay na pinahahalghan natin para sa salita ng Diyos
ii. Humility brings an openness and inner peace
b. Pagtanggap sa will of God
c. Justice in the World
i. Action on behalf…
1. ACTION on behalf of the WORD OF THE GOSPEL
III. Basehan natin ang panlipunang turo ng simbahan
a. Universal destination
b. Subsidiarity
 c. Solidarity
d. Dignity
e. Common good
f. Participation
g. Integral human development
h. Dignity of human work
 Acts and Decrees of the 2nd Pastoral Council of the Philippines (PCP II)
o The unity of temporal liberation and evangelization is what makes Internal
Evangelization
o Evangelization is the proclamation of salvation which is a gift of God. Through the
work of God and the Sacraments, people are freed in the first place form the power of
sin and the power of the Evil One which oppresses them.
 Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully
appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the proclamation 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
 Lumen Gentium:
o Just as Christ carried out the work of redemption in poverty and persecution, so the
Church is called to follow the same route that it might communicate the fruits of
salvation to all people.
o To ignore the problem of poverty would be to ignore the lesson of the Gospel which
calls us to us to love our neighbor who is suffering and in need
 This thesis statement basically says that Christians are challenged to live out the mission of
Christ: which is justice for all human beings. It challenges us to live a life, and disposition,
wherein we constantly recognize the various structures that propagate injustice in society
 Spirituality in this sense refers to our acceptance of the Will of God
o The Will of God calls for us to prevent anyone from living an undignified life. This
includes, most especially, living in material poverty.
 The gospel calls us to be part of the system that will help transform the world
 There was a demand for a radical authentic witness of poverty arising from new religious
communities
 This thesis statement basically talks about spirituality as following the will of God, especially
in following the preferential option for the poor
 From poverty and theological reflection:
o A point of orientation for the pastoral activities of the Church and an important
guideline for being Christian  spirituality
 Evangelii Nuntiandi
o The church has the duty to proclaim the liberation of millios of human beings, many
of whom are the Church’s own children == the duty of assisting thebirth of this
liberation, of giving witness to it, of ensuring that it is complete. This is not foreign to
evangelization. 9
 Dapat nating itaya ang sarili natin sa mission na tutulungan natin ang mga mahihirap sa
mundo. Dapat nating paniguraduhin na tayo’y nakikilahok sa pagusbong ng hustisya sa
mundo
 Basically, the Gospel teaches us what we need to now. It shows us what has happened in the
past, and what God wants us to hear. It teaches us what Jesus did when He was here in Earth
 and helping the poor. It is not enough to go to Church every Sunday and listen to the Gospels
– there has to be some sort of action
o Related to this, the Church does not call to us to only listen to the gospel.
 The gospel should lead to understanding (understanding what the Gospel
meant to teach us by taking everything into context. By understanding how
the teaching was meant to teach during its time, we can then interpret it
during our time. Scripture in general teaches us the foundations of certain
ideologies, not that they are necessarily accurate for our time because every
context is different
 Out of this analysis comes the Church Social Teaching. These teachings are based upon the
gospels and scriptures. It already interpreted what the Holy Word was trying to say in their
time, and is now integrated to the context of realities today.
o The CST’s main aim is to interpret these realities, determining their conformity with
or divergence from the lines of the Gospel teaching on the human person and his/her
vocation, which is at once earthly and transcendent. Its aim is to guide Christian
Behavior
o It is a body of wisdom that can help us live justly in the contemporary world
 The END GOAL of CST is ultimately performative:
o the social message of the Gospel must not be considered a theory, but above all else a
basis and amotivation for action. It will gain credibility more form the witness of
actions than as a result of its internal logic and consistency
 IT IS NOT A MODEL THAT WILL FIX SOCIETY, BUT RATHER A
FOUNDATION ON WHY WE NEED TO
 NOTE: The Church is basically the modern embodiment of Jesus.
o When we go to Church, we are also basically listening to Jesus at Mt. Sinai. We are
also listening to what he wants to achieve, and we have to fulfill our obligations and
responsibilities as followers of Christ
Paglikha
4. Ang mga kuwento ng paglikha sa Genesis (1:1-2:4a at 2:4b- 24) ay tinitingnan bilang isang
malalim at malikhaing pagpapahayag ng pananampalataya sa isang makapangyarihan at matalik na
nakikipagugnayan na Diyos na pinagmulan, nagpapanatili at kaganapan ng lahat. Ito ay mga mitong
naglalahad ng iba’t ibang katotohanan ng Hudeo-Kristyanong pananampalataya: hinggil sa paglikha
bilang isang daloy, ang taglay na kabutihan ng lahat ng nilikha, ang halaga ng paggawa at pahinga,
ang marapat ng lugar ng mga tao sa sanilikha, ang matalik na ugnayan na mayroon sa sanilikha.

I. Ang mga storya ng creation ay isang representasyon ng pananampalataya ng mga

nagsulat nito sa context nila
a. Yung unang creation story ay isinulat ng mga na exile, kaya maaari nating ilapat sa
contexto na iyon
i. Barren wasteland = desert
ii. Paghahanap liwanag ng mga exiled
iii. Promised land = magpapabuhay sa mga hudyo
iv. Milk and honey  representative of the promised land
1. TAKE INTO CONTEXT
b. These are all RELATIONAL to God
i. Pakikiugnayan ng tao sa makapangyarihan (kayang magbigay ng lupa at
pagkain) at matalik na Diyos
II. Theme of first half
a. SHALOM  wholeness
i. God as relational
1. To be th image of this God, the human being must be relationa
a. Humanity is sexed so human beings are driven to
relationships
2. Wholeness ay nararanasan sa intimacy ng relationships
a. Magis as whole
ii. Ish and Ishshah
1. Play on the intimacy of man and woman
III. Bilang isang daloy:
IV. Taglay na kabutihan
a. Nilikha sa imahe at wangis ng Diyos
V. Paggawa at paghinga
a. Hindi lang tayo kamukha ng Diyos, may dominion din tayo. We can also create
i. Create  give names to animals; appropriation
VI. Land as universal
a. Land owns us
VII. Matalik na ugnayan
a. Galing tayo sa lupa, at ang lahat ng hayop ay galing sa lupa
b. Ground  (humans, animals, plants)
i. Intimacy of all of creation
- Talk about what Genesis actually wants to teach
o For example, that God gave the land to us for us to be responsible of. He did not give
us the land as a present such as a father gives his son a toy; but rather God gave us the
land because we need it to survive
 o When God told Adam to have dominion over all the land and all the living creatures
on Earth, he was not talking to one individual but rather to all of humanity. That is
why no one individual should own so much land that it deprives others from having
access to it
 God also created man from the ground beneath us
 This is indicative of our close relationship not only with the earth but
also with all other living creatures (since they are also created from
the earth)
- Just say what you wrote sa scriptural application in the paper. This would be fitting already.
Maybe add some biblical context like sir suggested
Misteryo ng Kasalanan
5. Sa paglaganap ng kawalang katarungan sa iba’t ibang larangan ng lipunan, tinatanaw ng
pananampalatayang Kristyano ang ugat sanhi nito sa misteryo ng kasalanan. Mula sa pagninilay sa
kwento ng pagkahulog sa kasalanan sa Gen 3 at sa kontemporaryong pag-unawa sa kasalanan,
makikita ang pangkalahatang karanasan sa misteryong ito bilang kasalanang mana na pangkalahatang
realidad na nakaapekto sa lahat ng sanilikha at ang kumplikadong talaban ng personal na kasalanan at
ang panlipunang kasalanan. Makikita rin dito ang bunga nito na sumira sa shalom na niloloob ng
Diyos para sa buong nilikha at pagkasira ng ating batayang pagpili sa Diyos (fundamental option) at
sa kalagayang panlipunan.

I. God gave human freedom

a. Dito nanggagaling ang kasalanan
b. Ang kawalang katarungan  patuloy na paglabag sa will of God
c. Ang kasalanan ang abuso sa kalayaang ibinigay ng DIyos
II. Pagkahulog ng tao
a. Ang pagkuha ng prutas sa puno ng kaalaman
b. Choice ang fruit of the knowledge of Good and Evil
i. Fruit activates my desire  apetite
ii. Insert serpent
1. Lust as the root of all capital sins
III. Fundamental option
a. Saying no to God
b. Affects our ability to decide
IV. Categorical choice
a. Our actual decision making
V. Social sin and personal sin
a. Mga strukturang na nagbubulag sa tao
b. Ang paggawa ng aksyon na naimpluwensiyan na ng social sin
VI. Nawala ang wholeness natin
5. With the spread of injustice in various areas of society, the Christian faith overlooks the root cause
of it in the mystery of sin. From reflection on the story of the fall of sin in Gen 3 and the
contemporary understanding of sin, the general experience of this mystery will be seen as a sin
inheritance of general reality that affects all creation and the complexity of personal sin and the social
offense. It also results in the consequence of destroying God's shalom for the whole creation and
destruction of our fundamental choice and of social status.

 Lol this is easy, just social sin

 Freedom is what really makes us sin. Because God gave us the freedom to ultimately choose
our own actions (categorical choices), we are also given the option to go against His will
(fundamental option)
 Shalom means peace, denoting wholeness or completeness. We are complete when we
fundamentally choose God
o It refers to the well-being of a person
o It typically also refers to the entire disposition of a person
 When God commanded man to not eat from the tree of evil (or the tree of knowledge) he did
not mean that the apple was evil itself or that it was sinful
 o Ang gusto lang ipahiwatig ng Diyos ay ang paraan ng pagkuha nito (ang mismong
paglabag sa kagustuhan at sa will ng Diyos) ay ang ipinagbabawal niya
 Ipinapakita nito na ang knowledge mismo ay hindi makasalanan. Ang
pagkuha nito (which represents our saying “no” to the fundamental option for
God) ang nangyayari
 Ang kasalanan ay typically nahahanap sa fundamental option natin para sa Diyos. Hindi sa
sari-sarili nating action (pero pwede rin naman itong kasabwat) kung hindi ang pag “hindi”
natin sa Diyos
o As a powerful influence on the categorical level of freedom, social sin exercises a
subtle and indirect but nonetheless strong influence on the fundamental option – the
level at which sin, properly speaking, resides
 Note again that fundamental OPTION is the OPTION to say either YES or
NO to God. It is the very core of our being, it is not one single action or set of
actions, but our entire disposition towards these actions
 Kapag tinanong natin saan ba nanggagaling ang kaslanaan, ang tanong na kadalasan ay
tinatanong ng mga nagdududa na sa Christianity, ay pwede nating ipinpoint hindi lang sa mga
sarisarili nating ginagawa kung hindi pati na rin sa kabuuan ng mga lipunan
o Sinabi sa Keefe na ang lipunan ay nabubuo ng mga institusyon na maaaring mag
propagate ng iba’t ibang values. Kasama ditto ang cultures o kaya ang mga “norms”
na nakasanayan ng mga lipunan
o Ang social sin ay ang
 Mga institution na nag dedehumanize ng mga tao at nag papatuloy ng mga
injustice sa lipunan
 Mga cultural at religious symbols na nagbibigay justification sa mga injustice
na ito
 Basically, mga excuses ito sa mga injustice.
o Maybe the justification of blind ignorance, “wala naman
kaming papel diyan/ hindi naman kami naapektuhan”
 Ang pagkakaroon na ng false consciousness, o kaya ang pagbabaliktad ng
mga authentic values. Ang mga masasama at hindi makatarungan na values
ay nakikita bilang makatarungan at mabait dahil sobrang baluktot na ng mga
values ng isang lipunan
 Makikita naman ito sa history mismo. Kaya maraming nagging
movement sa bawat antas ng mundo, ay dahil sa paglilinaw ng mga
authentic values. At pagtatapos ng slavery sa Europe at united states,
halimbawa, ay ang pagtatapos ng mga baluktot at baliktad na mga
ideals o values
 ang pagpapatuloy ng social sin dahil sa false consciousness. Dahil may
baluktot na image of authentic values, naapektuhan na yung mga galaw at
aksyon ng mga miyembro ng lipunan nito
 sa pagtatalaban ng social sin at person sin, palagi silang nagbabalikan sa isa’t isa.
o Ang social sin ay aapektuhan ang personal sin dahil ang mga ginagawa natin ay kahit
naapektuhan ng kinalakihan nating mga values
 Kapag lumaki ka sa isang lipunan na hindi tinitignan ang rape bilang isang
masamang gawain, ang pananaw mo dito ay magiging neutral at the very best
 Kung babalikan natin yung mga barbarian sa mga unang panahon na
kung saan laganap ang mga rape and pillaging, pwede nating sabihin
 na wala pa silang mga buong institutsyon na pwedeng lumabag sa
mga ideals na ito
o Pero the fact that my freedom sila – albeit siymepre limited
based on the values that they consider to be wrong – to
choose otherwise, it does not mean that they are acquitted
form their acts na
o ang personal sin ay nangyayari na dahil sa categorical freedom natin, o ang abilidad
natin na pagpilian ang dalawang choices.
 Ultimately, these choices can be asked
 Will this show my love for God? Do I say yes or no to God by doing
this?
 Does this follow the will of Christ? Does this respect the human as an
image and likeness of God?
 Ang sarili nating mga desisyon ay naapektuhan ng fundamental option natin
para sa Diyos. Ang lahat ng bagay ay pwedeng itanong at ilapat sa
fundamental option
 Lahat ng bagay pwede nating itanong kung makatutulong ba ito sa
pagpapalaganap ng TAMA o kaya AUTHENTIC na values
 Our fundamental option ultimately AFFECTS our categorical choices. Pero our categorical
choices also ultimately AFFECTS our fundamental option.
o HOWEVER, these are also reversible. Our “fundamental option” is not an immovable
or irreconcilable core. It can be amended by choosing the right actions and
understanding the right values. Only then can we try and avoid sin.
Exodo at mga Propeta ng Katarungang Panlipunan
6. Sa Lumang Tipan, ang pagpapalaya at pakikipagtipan ni Yahweh sa bayang Israel ang nagpapaalala
ng pagpapakilala ng Diyos bilang Diyos na pumapanig sa api, at ang pagtulad ng mga pinili at mga
tinipan ng Diyos sa kanyang katangian: isang lipunang malaya at mapagpalaya. Sa pakikipagtipan ng
Diyos sa kanyang bayan sa paanan ng bundok Sinai, bilang tugon, itinatag ng Israel ang kanyang
sarili bilang alternatibong komunidad na nakabatay sa mga katangian ng Diyos.
Ngunit sa pagbaligtad ng Israel sa kanilang itinatag na alternatibong komunidad, umusbong ang mga
propeta ng katarungang panlipunan na sabay tumutuligsa’t sumusugat sa kamanhidan ng
kasalukuyang sitwasyon/status quo at nagpapahayag ng pag-asa sa isang alternatibong kinabukasan.
Hinihingi nila noon, lalo’t higit ngayon ang pag-iral at “pagdaluyong ng katarungan tulad ng tubig at
kabutihan na laging maasahan tulad ng tubig mula sa bukal (Amos 5:24).”

I. Babylonian Exile
a. Flowing with milk and honey
i. Preferential option for the poor
II. Economic ownership of the Israelites
a. Feudalism
b. Nagiging slaves or wage laboreres and mga israelita
c. Amos, Isaiah, Micah  nagsigaw ng na crisis ito, at kailangan nng hustisya
III. Ang lupa bilang kasabwat sa integradad ng isang tao
a. Inheritance
i. Gift from God
b. Ang possession ng land was a sign of salvation
i. dito ang pinanggagalingan ng will of God na gawing malaya ang tao na nasa
malayang lupa na nakatali lamang sa Diyos
c. a share in ownership of the basic economic good was corollary to membership in
society
d. misphat, sedaka
i. justice and righteousness
ii. WORSHIP WITHOUT JUSTICE IS NOT RIGHTEOUS
6. In the Old Testament, the release and covenant of Yahweh to the people of Israel reminds God's
introduction as God who sides with the opressed, and the likeness of God's chosen people in his
character: a free and liberating society. In the covenant of God to his people at the foot of Mount
Sinai, in response, Israel established itself as an alternative community based on God's attributes.
But by reversing Israel in their established alternative community, the prophets of social justice
sprouted together in the face of the pain of the current situation / status quo and expressing hope in an
alternative future. They asked for it, much more now the existence and "let justice roll down lke
waters, righteousness like an unfailing stream (Amos 5:24)."

 Mention preferential option for the poor

JUST NOTES FROM HIGHLIGHTS FOR NOW
 Religion that chants but never brings the “foolish” standards of the gospel to the issues of the
time
  How little we understand the role of gospel critique in a world where people expect to talk
religion but not to do it; where people will define religion but do not want to steer by it; where
people will argue religion but do not want to apply it to the here and now, to the this and that,
to modern life as well as to ancient myth
 Prophets are not meandering fanatics gone berserk in the streets
o We overlook prophetic passion. What they just really care about is the injustices that
is happening
 Hosea shows that God does not judge us because we are revolting. God judges us because we
are lovable
 Judgment comes from compassion demands judgment so that the sufferer may be liberated
and the suffering itself may be scourged
o It is compassion that compels us to get it right, straight and true
 Some good things grieve us, fail to live up to what they have promised to be, go soft in them
idle, flirt with the edges of their integrity. Then judgment is called for; and in the judgment,
compassion is required or, instead of healing, there is only surgery for its own sake. Hosea is
a model of justice tempered by compassion
 Not simply to condemn what once you loved but to love what must be condemned and to
condemn it lovingly.

Actual notes
 How do we understand the prophets in our social context?
 What is justice?
o it connotes a complex of meanings like equal, fair, right, good, which, however
modulated, constitute a focus of value that is understood to be essential to social well-
being
o Three definitions
 Theological – rooted in the Israelites’ knowledge of God who is just and
requires justice from His people
 Moral – it frequently appeared as synonymous with righteousness 4
 Thirdly, the prophets believed that justice was achievable, not only an ideal.
They strongly believed that if everyone cooperated and really trusted, each
other, that justice for everybody could actually be achieved
 righteousness expressed in justice is the indispensable qualification for worship – no justice,
no acceptable public religion
o WORSHIP WITHOUT JUSTICE IS NOT RIGHTEOUS
 To be Christian is to recognize that the poor need justice
 In our modern context, it is to recognize that the poor need the
preferential option
 Righteousness
o It is present when a person tires to fulfill the possibilities of a given or assumed
relationships in a way that is fair and favorable to others. To do justice, they said, s
to love god, to prefer that which makes for life
o So it was kind of like a disposition of some sorts. If a person has it, he will always try
and fight for what is just not only for his own sake, but for others’ as well
 The entire history of Israel under God is subordinated to on purpose – righteousness
expressed in justice
 Note that the example of land was used in the reading
o Justice for land was specifically tackled by the prophets because the abuse of
feudalism during their time was really rampant
o In hindsight, it did look like feudalism was necessary for the growth of Israel as a
state
 But for the prophets, Amos Isaiah, and Micah, this was still a crisis. They still
cried out injustice because in their specific social and economic context,
injustice was happening. People were not only being deprived of land which
would sustain life, they were also being forced into labor
o It was mainly due to unfavorable distribution
 Go back to Genesis and how God gave land to all of humanity and not only
the few. Maybe this is where the prophets got their messages across
 Maybe mention CST?
