CFED (WEEK 1)
be in you, and that your joy may be full.
THE CHURCH’S LINK TO JESUS OBLIGATES THE
CHURCH TO DO MISSION
Introduction:
The early Church’s faith had to be seen in the way
members tried to walk in the footsteps of Jesus; in
their witnessing to Jesus’ healing power, his concern
for forgiveness, his compassion, his freedom, and his
willingness to share himself with others as illustrated
by his table fellowship and ultimately his death. This
witnessing is what makes true discipleship – the
central and the scriptural idea of what it means to be
a Church.
In the New Testament, we can see five
dimensions that characterize the Church that
professed faith in Jesus. The Church was made of
communities that: a) had a strong sense of fellowship;
b) were nourished by the word of God; c) were
celebrating their communion with one another and
with God in prayer and celebration of the sacraments;
d) developed a plurality of ministries; and e) continued
Jesus’ mission of proclaiming the kingdom of God.
In this lesson, let’s have a deeper understanding our
Jesus’ relationship with the Church. What does it
mean to be one with Christ?
Lesson Proper:
The Vine and the Branch (John 15:1-17)
I Am the True Vine
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the
vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear
fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear
fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already
you are clean because of the word that I have spoken
to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the
vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me
and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart
from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not
abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and
withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into
the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my
words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will
be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that
you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.
Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments,
you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my
Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one
another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no
one than this, that someone lay down his life for his
friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I
command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants,[a]
for the servant does not know what his master is
doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have
heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and
appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and
that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask
the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17
These things I command you, so that you will love
one another.
Let’s take a closer look and analyze what is the vine
and branches meaning in the Bible.
Vine and Branches Meaning: What is the
connection?
The first statement indicates an inseparable
connection between the branches and the main vine.
If we take it literally, then it turns out that we must be
one with Jesus.
With great reverence and fear, we must realize that
Jesus calls us friends and has the greatest honor,
allowing us to be branches on Him, as in a vine. Now
we must conclude what we should be in our lives if we
are branches of the vine of Christ. It is unlikely that
any of us have seen an apple tree, from the trunk of
which would grow branches of nettle. This is
impossible because of the heterogeneity of the plants,
so having a great advantage, grow on the vine – we
will match our own higher genus!
Vine and Branches Meaning: Common Root
The second natural conclusion, which can be made
from the words “I am the vine, and you are the
branches,” is the commonality of the root.
Consequently, all the juices that enter through the
root to the vine must pass to the branches. If you
think about how this can reflect our everyday reality,
then you can judge this. In our life, there are various
events, and in daily life, we often face the need for
choice.
This verse from the Gospel of John shows that Jesus
Christ and we should have common interests in
everything: what is useful for the vine, it is also useful
for the branches. After all, there is no such thing that
the root feed on juices alone, and the tree crown is
different. No, they have everything in common.
Therefore, if you feel that your interests do not
correspond to Christ, think, maybe you’re not on the
vine? Maybe you already is a wild branch, and have
no relation to the beautiful plant of God?
Vine and Branches Meaning: Necessary Pruning
The third and most important truth of Jesus’ words is
that “… every branch that brings forth fruit cleanses
so that it will bear more fruit.” In other words, if you
are in the right condition and bear fruit for the
kingdom of God, then necessary pruning is waiting for
you. Many believe that the Lord realizes it with the
help of hard and ruthless pruning down. Of course, it
cannot be denied that often such interference from
above into our lives does not have effect as we would
like.
However, in no case should you think that God is
pleased when we suffer! No! The Lord wants us to be
more fruitful, so He does everything that is required of
the gardener. But we also know that “… He will not let
you be tempted beyond your strength” (1 Cor. 10: 13).
Therefore, we will rejoice when the caring gardener
shows his care, we know that He will not cause us
unnecessary pain or unnecessary suffering. Glory be
to Him for that!
Vine and Branches Meaning: Bear Fruits
The fourth conclusion is that “If you remain in me and
I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you
can do nothing” (John 15: 5). This is an extremely
important detail! Some think that they can bear fruit,
being somewhere outside Christ. To this is the
unambiguous assertion of our Savior: “A branch
cannot bear fruit of itself.” Immediately remember the
words of Paul: “What do you have that you did not
receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as
if you did not receive it? “(1 Cor 4: 7).
Any of our talents or abilities are from God and to
Him. Let us devote ourselves to Him without a trace,
realizing that if we have fruit in our Christian life, it is
not our merit. By ourselves we could not bring
anything. Being on the vine and eating from it, we
bear fruit precisely because of it. Glory to Christ that
He makes us able to produce fruit. And He still
rewards for it as if it is our merit!
The parable of the vine and the branch gives an
explicit representation of the nature, characteristics
and the responsibilities of the Church as the Body of
Christ. The Lord compared us to the branches and
compared Himself to the vine. Our relationship with
the Lord is like the relationship between the vine
branches and the vine. Away from the vine, the
branches will lose the supply of life and then wither
and die. From this we can see that the Lord is the
source of our life and that it is very important to
maintain a proper relationship with God. Only by
constantly living before God to have a normal
relationship with God can we gain the supply of God’s
life and bear the fruit of life. Conversely, if we often
stray far from God, cling to the world, and live in the
enjoyment of the flesh and material benefits, but
seldom read God’s words or pray to Him, then we will
have no proper relationship with Him, nor will we have
the work of the Holy Spirit. Our life will wither. This is
equivalent to the branches withering after being away
from the vine.
So, how can we establish a proper relationship with
God? Let us get to know the contextualization of the
allegory of Jesus who is referred as the True Vine.
The Nature of the Church
“The comparison of the Church with the body casts
light on the intimate bond between Christ and his
Church. Not only is she gathered around him; she is
united in him, in his body. Three aspects of the
Church as the Body of Christ are to be more
specifically noted: the unity of all her members with
each other as a result of their union with Christ; Christ
as head of the Body; and the Church as bride of
Christ.”
CCC 789 (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
"How is the church the Body of Christ?"
The Church as the Body of Christ draw their life from
Christ the same way a branch draws its life from the
vine. The phrase “the Body of Christ” is a common
New Testament metaphor for the Church. The Church
is called “one body in Christ” in Romans 12:5, “one
body” in 1 Corinthians 10:17, “the body of Christ” in 1
Corinthians 12:27 and Ephesians 4:12, and “the body”
in Hebrews 13:3. The Church is clearly equated with
“the body” of Christ in Ephesians 5:23 and Colossians
1:24.
The Body of Christ is a common, yet complex term
used in the Christian faith. Some may initially think we
are talking about the physical body of Christ, as in His
human form on earth. But the term "Body of Christ"
actually refers to the members of His church,
throughout history. Who or what is the body of Christ?
The body of Christ is the Church, made up of all those
who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal
Savior. Each Christian, then, is a part of the body of
Christ.
When Christ entered our world, He took on a physical
body “prepared” for Him (Hebrews 10:5; Philippians
2:7). Through His physical body, Jesus demonstrated
the love of God clearly, tangibly, and boldly—
especially through His sacrificial death on the cross
(Romans 5:8). After His bodily ascension, Christ
continues His work in the world through those He has
redeemed—the Church now demonstrates the love of
God clearly, tangibly, and boldly. In this way, the
Church functions as “the Body of Christ.”
Church as the Body of Christ
The description of the Church as the 'Body of Christ'
has its basis in the writings of St Paul.
“Christ is like a single body, which has many parts; it
is still one body, even though it is made up of different
parts. In the same way, all of us, whether Jews or
Gentiles, whether slaves or free, have been baptized
into the one body by the same Spirit, and we have all
been given the one Spirit to drink.”
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
Paul borrows the notion of Greek political life. In the
Roman setting, the word “body” expresses a group of
persons who embrace a common political ideal or
follow a particular political figure. By adopting this
image, Paul wishes to highlight the Church’s unique
relationship to Christ and the unique relationship of
the members to one another. In baptism, although we
are many, we are made into one body of Christ. “We
were all baptized into one body - Jews and Greeks,
slaves and free – and we were all made to drink of
one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12: 12-13). In the
celebration of the Eucharist, Christians share in the
blood and body of Christ, and thus are nurtured and
strengthened to remain in the one body of Christ (1
Corinthians 10: 16-17)
The Church is called the Body of Christ, as it is a
living entity, just as a body is. It is the Body of Christ,
as Christ the head and founder of the Church.
The Church includes everyone who has faith and has
a duty to evangelize. This means that the Church has
a duty to share the word of God and educate others
so that they might convert to the Catholic faith. It is
through the Church and Christ alone that humanity
can find salvation.
“it means that all salvation comes from Christ the
Head through the Church which is his Body.”
CCC 846 (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it clear
that God does not belong to any one person or group,
because God is the one who calls people to him. The
people of God are those who have been chosen and
called by God to him. An individual can become a
member of the people through the Sacrament of
Baptism.
The people of God also have a duty to follow the
commandments of God and a duty towards fellow
human beings. They have a mission:
to spread the Word of God, hope and salvation to the
world
to live as Christ did
Each Member has a Unique Contribution to Make
Are you a contributing member of the body of Christ?
Are you actively serving God and sharing Him with
others? Are you contributing to peace and unity within
the body? Do you worship regularly? Take a moment
to evaluate your life in light of these principles:
"The body of Christ" is composed of members who
are different. It is God who has designed His body in
this way. "Just as each of us has one body with many
members, and these members do not all have the
same function, so in Christ we who are many forms
one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
We have different gifts, according to the grace given
us." (Romans 12:4-6) Some members are gifted as
teachers and pastors, others are evangelists, others
are gifted at caring for those in need, others are gifted
with great compassion, etc. But every member has
something to offer to the edification of the church.
Peter says, "Each one should use whatever gift he
has received to serve others, faithfully administering
God's grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:10)
The church is seen functioning at its best when each
member exercises his or her gift as the Lord intended.
This is the point Paul makes: "From him, the whole
body, joined and held together by every supporting
ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each
part does its work." (Ephesians 4:16)As a part of the
church, what can you do to enhance the body of
Christ? The body is a holy entity and is to be
respected and treated with complete honor and care.
The Bible provides several action principles for
building up the body of Christ:
 You are called to promote truth and unity-
Ephesians 4:25 says, "Therefore each of you
must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to
his neighbor, for we are all members of one
body."
 You are called to service- 1 Corinthians 12:4-
11 outlines the importance of using your God-
given spiritual gift. Your gift is unique and
equally important. It is essential to the body
that you use your special gift in service to
God.
  You are called to share Jesus- Romans 1:16
says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel,
because it is the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes…" As part
of the body of Christ, you are to share your
life-changing story with others!
 You are called to worship- "It is good to praise
the LORD and make music to your name, O
Most High, to proclaim your love in the
morning and your faithfulness at night" (Psalm
92:1-2).
 You are called to love each another- "1 John
4:11 says, "Dear friends, since God so loved
us, we also ought to love one another."
THE CHURCH’S RELATIONSHIP TO THE WORLD
IS MISSIONARY IN CHARACTER
Introduction:
We have learned from the previous chapters the
significant changes and transformation that led to the
enhancement of Church’s perspective in line of the
global and social issues faced by the modern world.
In this lesson, we will learn more on the intricacies,
specific issues and challenges, and the different
themes and interventions made and agreed upon by
the council fathers to address social and political
upheavals and to respond to the changing and
advancing way of living involving culture and
traditions.
Gaudium et Spes sets out to examine the deep-
seated changes which were taking place in the culture
of the times. It looked at how rapid social change
brought about changes in attitudes and morals and
the place of religion in society. It looked at the
changes and it reflected on how these changes often
were linked with new desires and the on-going
questionings of the men and women of the time.
The Church must listen to discover the replies which
God is now giving to these questions in history:
 What are the forces of healing and reconciliation at
work in the world?
 Where is God building the kingdom?
We must dare to listen even when the solutions spell
out God’s judgment on the Church. This document
challenged the church to help forge new bonds of
global solidarity to alleviate the debts of the poorest
countries and to become one of the world’s strongest
advocates of multicultural approaches in international
policies.
Lesson Proper:
During the years of the council, the media around the
world were concerned with the question: What does
the Catholic Church have to say and offer to the world
for the modern and future eras of humanity?
Of the 16 documents, we can say that Gaudium et
Spes is a response to this question. It emerged as a
suggestion directly from the floor of the Council rather
than being prepared in advance as were the others,
and it addresses the whole of humanity instead of a
specific group. It relied on the already approved
tradition of Catholic Social Teaching, Scripture,
Church Fathers, and the development of social
doctrine. The Bishops attempted to address the
present circumstances of the modern world in a very
personal and pastoral way.
Constitution Sections
It is divided into two major parts. Part I has
four chapters which address the nature of men and
women and their vocation in the plan of God - a
vocation that calls people to communion with one
another. The five chapters of Part II focus on urgent
concerns facing humanity in the modern era.
Humankind’s deeper questions:
 division in the world – reflection of division in
humankind
 deeper questions being asked: who are we?
meaning of suffering?
 contributions and expectations to/from
society?
 end of life?
The Church believes Christ can show us the way and
that he is the center of history. The Church is the sign
of the presence of God. The Church’s greatest
responsibility and challenge is to promote and attain
unity. Beneath the changes there is also much
unchanged that has its ultimate foundation in Christ,
who is the same yesterday, today and forever.
What is the situation of the world today?
The Church reads the “signs of the times” and
interprets them in light of the Gospel in
understandable language, as well as looking at
questions about the meaning of this life and of the life
to come, and how one is related to the other. The
dignity of being human means being created in God’s
image.

What are some important features of our modern
world?
Social and cultural transformation creates a crisis
of growth leading to insecurity:
 an abundance of wealth, resources and
economical well-being and yet a huge
proportion of the people of the world is
plagued by hunger and illiteracy
 a sense of freedom, but new forms of slavery
 a feeling of mutual dependence, but opposing
camps politically, economically, racially,
ideologically with lack of community and war.
We are looking for a better material world, without a
parallel spiritual advancement. We find our truest self
when we seek what is good not only for us, but for all.
Each of us is responsible to fulfill the call to live justly
and to walk in love always. God created us to be
social, and we are bound together.
Deep-seated changes:
 development of science and mathematics and
technology
 a greater self-awareness providing us with the
technical means of molding the lives of whole
people leading to control of the growth in
population
These developments result in an immense series of
new problems. Whatever is done to promote justice
and dignity is infinitely more valuable than what is
technologically created. The hope of the world rests in
love.
Changes in the social order:
 change in traditional community structures
 industrialization and urbanization on the
increase
 mass media’s contribution to the spread of
knowledge
 extended immigration and emigration
changing patterns of how we relate
Changes in attitude, morals, religion:
 values in question
 changing approaches to religion and
spirituality
Imbalance in the world of today:
 headlong development of the world
 keener awareness of existing inequalities
 family tensions
 demands of conscience
 tension in social classes
 disagreement between international bodies
Broader aspiration of humankind:
 need to establish political, social and
economic order at the service of people
 widening gap between rich and poor
 equality of women with men
 dignified life style
 cultural benefits
The world is capable of doing what is noble and
brave.
1. The Church as Servant
The Church is to serve and not to be served
Jesus taught us by his example to share in human
community, revealing the human vocation in terms of
the most common of social realities (GS 32). Christ
entered the world to rescue and not to sit in judgment,
to serve and not to be served (GS 3). Christ through
his Spirit can offer us the light and the strength to
measure up to our supreme destiny (GS 10). The
Father wants everyone to recognize Christ our brother
and love him in word and deed (GS 93). Marriage is a
reflection of the loving covenant uniting Christ with the
Church, manifesting to everyone Christ's living
presence in the world (GS 48)
The Constitution attempts to describe in concrete
terms what human life means to the Christian, how
community with others is built, and how human
activity is regarded. Its goal is to carry forward the
work of Christ under the lead of the Spirit. Christ
entered the world to give witness to the truth, to
rescue and not to sit in judgment, to serve and not to
be served.
Gaudium et Spes is a hopeful document, but the hope
is tempered by a realism: an acknowledgement that
the Church sometimes stumbles over itself to give an
authentic witness. Yet the hope for a “conversation” is
all that is set before the world. The hope is also
colored by the realism of Christ’s suffering and death:
a significant starting point for the rest of the
discussion.
Christians must shirk from their earthly
responsibilities.
The Council has some messages directed primarily to
members of the Church. It says that our hope related
to the end of time does not diminish in any way our
duty to address contemporary problems (GS 21); the
expectation of a new earth must not weaken but
rather stimulate our concern for cultivating this one
(GS 39). Christians should seek and think of those
things which are above, but this duty should increase
their obligation to work with others for a better world
(a. 57) and those Christians are mistaken who think
they can shirk their earthly responsibilities just
because we seek a life to come (GS 43). The
Christian message holds us bound to build up the
world and be concerned for the welfare of others (GS
34), and the teaching of Christ requires that we
forgive injuries and love our enemies (GS 28). We
must foster within the Church itself mutual esteem,
reverence and harmony, through the full recognition
of lawful diversity (GS 92)
Doing the Father’s will is ‘taking a strong grip of
the work at hand”
2. The Church as Leaven for society
Church must read the “signs of the time”
The constitution challenges us, modern
Christians to look at and trust the “signs of the
times” and thereby attempt to understand the
world in which we live. The Scriptural meaning of
the expression, sign of the times, refers to the signs
preceding the second coming. The conciliar text
prefers to speak of the signs of God’s presence in
history.
The Council expresses a desire to engage in
conversation with the entire human family (GS 3) so
that the Church can help shed light on the human
mystery and cooperate in solving contemporary
problems (GS 10). It addresses this Constitution to
Catholics, to all Christians, and to the whole of
humanity (GS 2). The Church has the duty of
scrutinizing the signs of the times and of
interpreting them in the light of the Gospel (GS 4),
and in line with this the Council expresses its own
view of contemporary society. It says that we are in a
new age of human history, since the social and
cultural circumstances of life have profoundly
changed (GS 54). The human race has passed from a
rather static concept of reality to a more dynamic,
evolutionary one (GS 5). We are undergoing a
cultural and social transformation (GS 4) resulting
in rapid changes in industrialization, urbanization,
communication, and socialization (GS 6) as well as
changes in attitudes, values, and norms of behavior
(GS 7).
The People of God and the human race render
service to each other (GS 11). The Church serves
as a leaven and as a kind of soul for human
society (GS 40). It can contribute to making people
and history more human (GS 40), opening up to
people the meaning of their own existence (GS 41).
The Church can inject into modern society the force of
its faith and love put into vital practice (GS 42). The
universality of the Church enables it to serve as a
bond between diverse human communities (GS 42).
The world is the arena of God’s saving actions
While defining the Church's relationship to the
world, the Council restates as well the mission of
the church. The Church has a saving and an
eschatological purpose which can be fully attained in
the future world (GS 40). The Church's mission is
religious and not in the political, economic or
social order, but this religious mission can help
the human community structure itself properly
(GS 42). The mission of the Church includes these
religious and less specifically religious goals:
 to reveal the mystery of God (GS 41);
 to make God present and in a sense visible
(GS 21);
 to communicate God's life to people and cast
the reflected light of that life over the entire
earth (a. 40); to carry forward the work of
Christ under the lead of the Spirit (GS 3);
 to preach the Gospel to everyone and
dispense the treasures of grace (GS 89);
 to guard the heritage of God's Word and draw
from it moral and religious principles (GS 33);
 to work that God's Kingdom may come, and
that the salvation of the whole human race
may come to pass (GS 45); to scrutinize the
signs of the times and interpret them in the
light of the Gospel (GS 4);
 to hear, distinguish and interpret the many
voices of our age, and judge them in the light
of God's Word (GS 44);
 to promote unity (GS 42);
  to stimulate and advance human and civic
culture (GS 58);
 to foster and elevate all that is found to be
true, good and beautiful in the human
community (GS 76);
 to shed on the whole world the radiance of the
Gospel message, and to unify under one
Spirit all people of whatever nation, race or
culture (GS 92)
Asserting that the Church can open up to people the
meaning of their own existence (GS 41), the Council
addresses the human person and human activity
and experience. It says that people are more
precious for what they are than for what they have
(GS 35). The dignity of the human person applies to
the human body, good and honorable, which God
created and will raise up on the last day (GS 14); the
human intellect, which shares in the light of the divine
mind (GS 15); and the human conscience, the most
secret core and sanctuary of a person where one is
alone with God (GS 16). Human dignity demands the
freedom to direct oneself toward goodness (GS 17).
3. Church must learn from society
The Church can and ought to be enriched by the
development of human social life.
We are witnessing a healthy evolution toward unity
and a process of wholesome socialization (GS 42).
Increasing socialization can cause problems but it
also offers opportunities for the positive
development of the human person (GS 25).
Modern technical advances are promoting a growing
interdependence among people (GS 23), which
tightens and spreads by degrees over the whole world
(GS 26). We are on the road to a more thorough
development of human personality and to a growing
discovery and vindication of our rights (GS 41). There
is growing awareness of human dignity, of rights and
duties that belong to everyone and cannot be taken
away (a. 26). People are claiming the rights deprived
them through injustice or unequal distribution (a. 9);
they thirst for a full and free life worthy of humans (GS
9). A keener sense of human dignity is leading to a
political environment more protective of human rights
(GS 73). There is a mounting increase in the sense of
autonomy as well as of responsibility: we are
witnessing the birth of a new humanism in which
humanity is defined in terms of social and historical
responsibility (GS 55). Under these circumstances it
is now possible to free most of humanity from the
misery of ignorance (GS 60).
The Church respects all the true, good, and just
elements found in human institutions (GS 42), and
Christians living and working in the world are bound to
penetrate the world with a Christian spirit (GS 43).
The Church can and ought to be enriched by the
development of human social life, and indeed the
Church has profited richly by the history and
development of humanity (GS 44). Whoever works
to better the world contributes to the Church as
well (GS 44).
The Church is not only a teacher but also a
learner.
The positive signs noted by the Council are countered
by several negative signs. Splits have developed
within individuals, families, races, and nations (GS 8).
Many find it difficult to identify permanent values
and apply them to changing circumstances (GS
4), and one of the more serious errors of our age
is the split between people's faith and their daily
lives (GS 43). Social disturbances take place,
resulting in part from natural economic, political and
social tensions, but at a deeper level they result from
pride and selfishness (GS 25). The magnified power
of humanity threatens to destroy the race itself (GS
37). Wars continue their devastation, and the fierce
character of warfare threatens to result in
unsurpassed savagery (GS 79). Even when no war
is being waged, the world is constantly beset by
strife and violence (GS 83). The Council
concludes that the modern world shows itself at
once powerful and weak, capable of the noblest
deeds or the foulest; before it lies the path to
freedom or to slavery, to progress or retreat, to
community or hatred (GS 9).
The Council sets out to establish a working
relationship with the world in which it finds itself, for
the Church goes forward together with humanity and
experiences the same earthly lot which the world
does (GS 40). The followers of Christ share the joys
and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of today's people,
especially those who are poor (GS 1), and Christians
are joined with the rest of society in the search for
truth (GS 16).
The Council teaches that we have a mandate to
govern the world with justice and holiness (GS 34), so
that we have a duty imposed upon us to build a
better world based upon truth and justice (GS 55).
Believers and unbelievers alike must work for a better
world (Gs 21); we must work together without
violence and deceit to build up the world in genuine
peace (GS 92). This task demands that we recognize
that technical advances are worth less than the work
we do for justice, community, and social order (GS
35), and that the effort to establish a universal
community is not a hopeless one (GS 38).